Magnet array for securing wireless listening devices

ABSTRACT

Embodiments describe a magnetic securing component including a set of magnets positioned laterally adjacent to one another and having a curved top surface defined by individual curved top surfaces of each magnet in the set of magnets. The set of magnets includes: first and second magnets positioned laterally adjacent to one another, where the first and second magnets each have a polarity that is oriented parallel to a vertical dimension; and third and fourth magnets laterally positioned from the first and second magnets, where the third magnet is positioned adjacent to the first magnet and the fourth magnet is positioned adjacent to the second magnet, the third and fourth magnets each having a magnetic polarity that is oriented at an angle with respect to the vertical dimension.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/738,772 filed on Sep. 28, 2018, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/738,788 filed on Sep. 28, 2018, U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/738,803 filed on Sep. 28, 2018, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/738,813 filed on Sep. 28, 2018,U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/738,828 filed on Sep. 28,2018, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/738,843 filed on Sep.28, 2018, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/865,070 filed onJun. 21, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/900,307filed on Sep. 13, 2019; the disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Portable listening devices can be used with a wide variety of electronicdevices such as portable media players, smart phones, tablet computers,laptop computers, stereo systems, and other types of devices. Portablelistening devices have historically included one or more small speakersconfigured to be place on, in, or near a user's ear, structuralcomponents that hold the speakers in place, and a cable thatelectrically connects the portable listening device to an audio source.Other portable listening devices can be wireless devices that do notinclude a cable and instead, wirelessly receive a stream of audio datafrom a wireless audio source. Such portable listening devices caninclude, for instance, wireless earbud devices or in-ear hearing devicesthat operate in pairs (one for each ear) or individually for outputtingsound to, and receiving sound from, the user.

While wireless listening devices have many advantages over wiredportable listening devices, they also have some potential drawbacks. Forexample, it may be difficult to achieve high-end acoustic performancefrom the listening devices due to the limited amount of space availablewithin each listening device. Also, some wireless listening devices thatextend into the ear canal to achieve better performance can often havean improper seal between the portable listening device and the earcanal, causing the user to experience lower quality sound. Further, thesmall size of wireless listening devices often causes a compromise inuser interface features, blockage of sensors and/or microphones, andlower overall user experience.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a wireless listening devicethat achieves improved acoustic performance and functionality, whichresults in an enriched user experience. In some instances, the wirelesslistening device can include a housing and an eartip that can attach tothe housing. The eartip can be configured to insert into a user's earand provide an avenue through which sound generated by the housing canbe outputted to the user. The housing can include various sensors thatcan work alone, or in conjunction with, the eartip to perform variousfunctions, such as, but not limited to, detecting when the wirelesslistening device has been inserted into a user's ear canal, determiningwhether a proper seal has been made between the eartip and the earcanal, and determining whether an improper blocking of one or moresensors of the wireless listening device exists. The housing can also beconfigured to recognize user input through movement of anatomical partsof a user's ear proximate to the wireless listening device, as well asthrough the user's voice alone or in conjunction with additional sensingmeasurements. These additional features can improve the user experienceas well as enhance the acoustic performance of the wireless listeningdevice.

In some embodiments, a magnetic securing component includes a set ofmagnets positioned laterally adjacent to one another and having a curvedtop surface defined by individual curved top surfaces of each magnet inthe set of magnets. The set of magnets includes: first and secondmagnets positioned laterally adjacent to one another, where the firstand second magnets each have a polarity that is oriented parallel to avertical dimension; and third and fourth magnets laterally positionedfrom the first and second magnets, where the third magnet is positionedadjacent to the first magnet and the fourth magnet is positionedadjacent to the second magnet, the third and fourth magnets each havinga magnetic polarity that is oriented at an angle with respect to thevertical dimension.

In some additional embodiments, a case for a wireless listening deviceincludes a lid movable to open and close the case, a hinge coupled tothe lid to allow the lid to open and close the case, and a body coupledto the lid by the hinge, where the body includes a set of magnetspositioned laterally adjacent to one another and having a curved topsurface defined by individual curved top surface of each magnet in theset of magnets. The set of magnets includes: first and second magnetspositioned laterally adjacent to one another, wherein the first magnethas a first magnetic polarity that is vertically downward, and thesecond magnet has a second magnetic polarity that is vertically upward;and third and fourth magnets laterally positioned from the first andsecond magnets, wherein the third magnet is positioned adjacent to thefirst magnet and the fourth magnet is positioned adjacent to the secondmagnet, the third and fourth magnets each having a magnetic polaritythat is oriented at an angle with respect to the vertical dimension.

In some further embodiments, a wireless listening device system includesa wireless listening device and a case. The wireless listening deviceincludes: a housing including an outer structure defining an acousticopening and a nozzle disposed around the acoustic opening, the acousticopening allowing sound to exit out of the outer structure; a firstcommunication system disposed within the housing and configured to sendand receive data; an eartip removably attached to the nozzle to directsound outputted by the housing through the acoustic opening; and anattachment mechanism removably attaching the eartip to the housing. Thecase includes a lid movable to open and close the case; a hinge coupledto the lid to allow the lid to open and close the case; a body coupledto the lid by the hinge, and a second communication system disposed inthe body and configured to exchange data with the first communicationsystem. The body includes a set of magnets positioned laterally adjacentto one another and having a curved top surface defined by individualcurved top surface of each magnet in the set of magnets, where the setof magnets includes: first and second magnets positioned laterallyadjacent to one another, wherein the first and second magnets each havea polarity that is oriented parallel to a vertical dimension; and thirdand fourth magnets laterally positioned from the first and secondmagnets, wherein the third magnet is positioned adjacent to the firstmagnet and the fourth magnet is positioned adjacent to the secondmagnet, the third and fourth magnets each having a magnetic polaritythat is oriented at an angle with respect to the vertical dimension.

A better understanding of the nature and advantages of embodiments ofthe present invention may be gained with reference to the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a portable electronic listeningdevice system including an exemplary wireless listening device,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a simplified illustration of an exemplary portable electroniclistening device system having a host device configured as a smartphone, a case, and a pair of wireless listening devices configured asearbuds, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a side-view illustration of an exemplary wireless listeningdevice where an eartip is attached to a housing, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a side view illustration of a wireless listening device wherean eartip is detached from a housing, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view illustration of an eartip attached toan outer structure of a housing via an attachment mechanism, accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a top-down view illustration of an eartip, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3C is a close-up, cross-sectional view illustration of attachmentmechanism attached to an outer structure via attachment features,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3D is an exploded view illustration of an exemplary wirelesslistening device including a wireform attachment mechanism for attachingan eartip to a housing, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view illustration of an eartip configuredto attach to a housing by way of a wireform attachment mechanism,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3F-3H are illustrations of a wireform attachment mechanism thathas an s-shaped profile configured to compress toward its center whenengaging with an eartip, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3I is a cross-sectional view illustration of an eartip attached toa housing via a wireform attachment mechanism, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3J-3L are a series of illustrations showing different points alongthe process of attaching an eartip to a nozzle, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3M-3O are illustrations of an exemplary wireform attachmentmechanism that has a u-shaped profile configured to compress toward itscenter when engaging with an eartip, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 3P-3Q are illustrations of an exemplary wireform attachmentmechanism that has a u-shaped profile configured to rotate its end capsaround an axis when engaging with an eartip, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view illustration of an exemplary eartipconfigured as a capacitive sensor, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 4B and 4C are cross-sectional view illustrations of eartip when itis inserted into an ear canal, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a bottom-up view illustration of an exemplary eartipconfigured with patterned lines separated by spaces on an inner surfaceof its outer eartip body, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5B is a side-view illustration of an exemplary wireless listeningdevice with an eartip and a housing having an optical sensor forobserving the inner surface of the outer eartip body, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5C is a bottom-up view of an eartip after deflection from beinginserted into an ear canal, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary wirelesslistening device having a control leak in its eartip, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6B and 6C are cross-sectional view illustrations of differenteartips with different control leak configurations, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6D is a cross-sectional view illustration of an eartip across avertical cutting plane, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6E is a cross-sectional view illustration of an eartip across ahorizontal cutting plane, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 6F-6H are perspective view illustrations of exemplary eartipshaving different modifications for mitigating the occlusion of a controlleak when the outer eartip body is bent and deformed when inserted intoan ear canal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary wireless listeningdevice showing further details of a housing, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustration of a wireless listeningdevice when it is worn by a user to show the positioning of the wirelesslistening device with respect to an ear canal and the auricle of an ear,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view illustration of a wireless listeningdevice when a leakage is not present, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional illustration of a wireless listening devicewhen a leakage is present, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary side-view illustration of a wireless listeningdevice worn by a user where one or more ports, control leaks, and/ormicrophones are occluded, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional view illustrations of exemplaryconfigurations having different acoustic shielding components formicrophones in a housing, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of an exemplary acoustic shielding componentconstructed as a multi-layer mesh, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a side-view illustration of a wireless listening device whosebattery and driver are uniquely positioned to decrease the size of thehousing, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a side-view illustration of a wireless listening deviceconfigured to display the user's listening status, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a side-view illustration of a wireless listening deviceconfigured to receive user input through interactions with the anatomyof a user's ear, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 16A is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary wirelesslistening device that includes an eartip coupled to a housing thatincludes a stem, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 16B is a simplified cross-sectional view illustration of theelectrical components within stem, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 17A is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary contact headconfigured with an alignment bar, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 17B is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary contact headconfigured with an alignment frame, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view illustration of an exemplary bus barhaving two conductive traces in a single layer, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view illustration of an exemplary bus barhaving two conductive traces in different layers, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 19A-19G are simplified illustrations of an exemplary method offorming an eartip, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 20A is a front-view illustration of an exemplary case that istransparent to illustrate the configuration of the components inside ofthe case from the front, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 20B is a back-view illustration of an exemplary case that istransparent to illustrate the configuration of the components inside ofthe case from the back, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 20C is a cross-sectional view illustration of an exemplary case,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21A is a simplified perspective view illustration of an internalframe for a case, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 21B is a simplified top-down view illustration of an internal framefor a case, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 22A is a simplified cross-sectional view illustration of theinternal frame in FIG. 21A, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22B is a simplified zoomed-in view illustration of a portion of thecross-sectional view of FIG. 22A, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 23 is a simplified cross-sectional view illustration of a set ofretaining magnets and a wireless listening device, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 24A is a front-view illustration of a set of retaining magnets,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 24B is a top-down view illustration of a set of retaining magnets,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a simplified perspective view illustration of an exemplaryvisual indicator including a light emitter and a light tube fordirecting light emitted by the light emitter from within a body of acase to a region outside of the body of the case, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 26A-26B are simplified cross-sectional views of an exemplarymagnetic attachment and sensor system that includes a hybrid retentionand sensor shunt, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary bistablehinge, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 28A-28C are cross-sectional view illustrations of the differentstates of a bistable hinge, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 28D-28F are simplified illustrations of an exemplary bistablehinge having a piston formed of a curved plate coupled to a rocker,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 29A-29C are simplified illustrations of an exemplary straddlebattery pack, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 30 is a simplified plan view illustration of a case for a pair ofwireless listening devices, according to some embodiments of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the disclosure describe a wireless listening device thatachieves high-end acoustic performance and improved user experience. Thewireless listening device can be one of a pair of wireless listeningdevices configured to fit in the left and right ears of a user foroutputting sound to the user and for inputting sound from the userand/or the surrounding environment. In some instances, the wirelesslistening device can include a housing and an eartip that can attach tothe housing. The housing can include a rigid outer structure thatencloses various electrical components that operate the wirelesslistening device (e.g., a battery, a processor, a driver for generatingsound, and the like). The outer structure can include an opening throughwhich the generated sound can be outputted to the eartip, which can thendirect the sound into the user's ear canal. The eartip can besubstantially pliable in construction but include a stiff attachmentstructure that enables the eartip to easily attach to the housing byinserting into the opening of the outer structure. Details of exampleeartips are discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 3A-3E.

In some instances, the eartip can be attached by way of a wireformattachment mechanism that enables the eartip to attach to the housingunder application of a low insertion force while requiring a highextraction force to remove the eartip. The wireform attachment mechanismcan have an s-shape profile that includes end caps for inserting intorecesses of an attachment structure of the eartip. The end caps can havebeveled upper corners to allow a vertical insertion force to translateinto a horizontal force to compress the wireform attachment mechanism.Details of example wireform attachment mechanisms are discussed hereinwith respect to FIGS. 3F-3Q.

In some additional or alternative embodiments, the wireless listeningdevice can include a control leak for improved comfort. For example, theeartip can include a control leak in the form of a specifically designedopening through which the ear canal can be exposed to the atmosphere.The control leak can be defined by an attachment structure of theeartip. Without the control leak, pressure can be trapped in the earcanal and be uncomfortable to the user, and outputted sound may bemuffled. Details of example control leaks are discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 6A-6E.

In some embodiments, the wireless listening device can also include anacoustic shielding component to mitigate wind noise and improve soundcapture quality. The acoustic shielding can be a multi-layered meshstructure that includes an acoustic mesh sandwiched between a cosmeticmesh and a stiffener. The outer surface of the cosmetic mesh can beflush with the outer contours of the housing so that wind noise can bemitigated. Details of example acoustic shielding components arediscussed herein with respect to FIGS. 11A-11B and 12.

In some additional or alternative embodiments, the wireless listeningdevice can include various sensors for performing various functions. Forinstance, the eartip can include a capacitive sensor for determiningwhen the eartip has been inserted into an ear canal, as discussed hereinwith respect to FIGS. 4A-4C. Or, in another instance, the housing caninclude an optical sensor that can work in conjunction with features ofthe eartip to determine when the eartip has been inserted into an earcanal, as discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 5A-5C. The wirelesslistening device can also be configured to determine whether a properseal has been made between the eartip and the ear canal, and whether oneor more sensors of the housing is improperly blocked, as discussedherein with respect to FIGS. 9A-9B.

The wireless listening device can also include various improved userinterface features, such as a status light indicator, strategicallypositioned optical sensors, an outward facing microphone, and/orlow-power accelerometers, as discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 7-8,10, and 14-15. The status light indicator can be configured to outputdifferent colors of light to indicate whether active noise cancelling(ANC) is activated. For instance, the status light indicator can outputa red light when ANC is on and a green light when ANC is off so thatpeople around the user can be made aware of the user's ability tocommunicate. The optical sensors can be strategically positioned toobserve parts of the ear so that when the ear moves, e.g., pulls awayfrom the wireless listening device when the user pulls on certain partsof his or her ear, the wireless listening device can associate thatmovement with a specific user input. The low-power accelerometer can beused in conjunction with the outward facing microphone to detect voicecommands only from the user. For instance, the wireless listening devicecan determine that the user is speaking a command, as opposed to anotherperson who happens to be speaking next to or directly to the user, byalso measuring a degree of vibration with the low-power accelerometer.The low-power accelerometer may vibrate over a threshold when the userspeaks. Thus, the wireless listening device can determine that the useris speaking a command when the command is spoken in conjunction with athreshold amount of vibration. These user interface features can improvethe user experience of the wireless listening device, which arediscussed further herein.

As used herein, the term “portable listening device” includes anyportable device designed to play sound that can be heard by a user.Headphones are one type of portable listening device, portable speakersare another. The term “headphones” represents a pair of small, portablelistening devices that are designed to be worn on or around a user'shead. They convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound thatcan be heard by the user. Headphones include traditional headphones thatare worn over a user's head and include left and right listening devicesconnected to each other by a headband, headsets (a combination of aheadphone and a microphone); and earbuds (very small headphones that aredesigned to be fitted directly in a user's ear). Traditional headphonesinclude both over-ear headphones (sometimes referred to as eithercircumaural or full-size headphones) that have earpads that fullyencompass a user's ears, and on-ear headphones (sometimes referred to assupra-aural headphones) that have earpads that press against a user'sear instead of surrounding the ear.

The term “earbuds”, which can also be referred to as earphones orear-fitting headphones, includes both small headphones that fit within auser's outer ear facing the ear canal without being inserted into theear canal, and in-ear headphones, sometimes referred to as canalphones,that are inserted in the ear canal itself. Thus, in-ear hearing devicescan be another type of portable listening device that are configured tobe positioned substantially within a user's ear. Other types of portablelistening devices can also include hearing aids that augment sounds fromthe surrounding environment to the user. As used herein, the term“eartip”, which can also be referred to as earmold, includes pre-formed,post-formed, or custom-molded sound-directing structures that at leastpartially fit within an ear canal. Eartips can be formed to have acomfortable fit capable of being worn for long periods of time. They canhave different sizes and shapes to achieve a better seal with a user'sear canal and/or ear cavity.

In addition to the wireless listening device aforementioned herein,embodiments also include a case for housing one or more wirelesslistening devices. The case can include a magnet array formed of a setof magnets laterally positioned with respect to one another. Each magnetcan have a specific magnetic polarity that is positioned in a distinctdirection to focus the magnetic force at a retention slab in thewireless listening device to generate high attractive forces in a smallfootprint. Details of example magnet arrays are discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 23 and 24A-24B.

In some additional or alternative embodiments, the case can also includea bistable hinge that can have two stable states, one of which pulls thelid of the case closed, and the other one of which pushes the lid of thecase opened. The bistable hinge can include three pivot points, as wellas a spring and piston rod along which a piston guide can move. Therelative direction of a force applied by the spring and a conversionaxis defined by two pivot points can define which state the bistablehinge pushes or pulls into. The bistable hinge can provide a nicetactile feel when the lid for the case opens or closes, and can alsominimize the number of magnets needed to keep the lid closed. Details ofexample bistable hinges are discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 27and 28A-28C.

In certain instances, the case can also include a hybrid retention andsensor shunt for detecting when the lid of the case is in the closedposition. The hybrid shunt can allow a magnet in the lid to pull towardthe body to keep the lid closed, while also providing a body throughwhich magnetic fields from the magnet can traverse to a region below theshunt to be detected by a sensor. That way, the sensor can utilize thespace provided for the hybrid shunt instead of being placed elsewherearound the case and occupying valuable real estate. Details of examplehybrid retention and sensor shunts are discussed herein with respect toFIGS. 26A-26B.

I. Wireless Listening Device

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a portable electronic listeningdevice system 100 including an exemplary wireless listening device 101,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Wirelesslistening device 101, as mentioned above, can include a housing 105.Housing 105 can be an electronic device component that generates andreceives sound to provide an enhanced user interface for a host device130. Housing 105 can include a computing system 102 coupled to a memorybank 104. Computing system 102 can execute instructions stored in memorybank 104 for performing a plurality of functions for operating housing105. Computing system 102 can be one or more suitable computing devices,such as microprocessors, computer processing units (CPUs), graphicsprocessing units (GPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and thelike.

Computing system 102 can also be coupled to a user interface system 106,communication system 108, and a sensor system 110 for enabling housing105 to perform one or more functions. For instance, user interfacesystem 106 can include a driver (e.g., speaker) for outputting sound toa user, microphone for inputting sound from the environment or the user,and any other suitable input and output device. Communication system 108can include Bluetooth components for enabling housing 105 to send andreceive data/commands from host device 130. Sensor system 110 caninclude optical sensors, accelerometers, microphones, and any other typeof sensor that can measure a parameter of an external entity and/orenvironment.

Housing 105 can also include a battery 112, which can be any suitableenergy storage device, such as a lithium ion battery, capable of storingenergy and discharging stored energy to operate housing 105. Thedischarged energy can be used to power the electrical components ofhousing 105. In some embodiments, battery 112 can also be charged toreplenish its stored energy. For instance, battery 112 can be coupled topower receiving circuitry 114, which can receive current from receivingelement 116. Receiving element 116 can electrically couple with atransmitting element 118 of an case 103 in embodiments where receivingelement 116 and transmitting element 118 are configured as exposedelectrical contacts. Case 103 can include a battery 122 that can storeand discharge energy to power transmitting circuitry 120, which can inturn provide power to transmitting element 118. The provided power cantransfer through an electrical connection 128 and be received by powerreceiving circuitry 114 for charging battery 112. While case 103 can bea device that provides power to charge battery 112 through receivingelement 116, in some embodiments, case 103 can also be a device thathouses wireless listening device 101 for storing and provide protectionto wireless listening device 101 while it is stored in case 103.

Case 103 can also include a case computing system 119 and a casecommunication system 121. Case computing system 119 can be one or moreprocessors, ASICs, FPGAs, microprocessors, and the like for operatingcase 103. Case computing system 119 can be coupled to power transmittingcircuitry 120 for operating the charging functionalities of case 103,and case computing system 119 can also be coupled to case communicationsystem 121 for operating the interactive functionalities of case 103with other devices, e.g., housing 105. In some embodiments, casecommunication system 121 is a Bluetooth component, or any other suitablecommunication component, that sends and receives data with communicationsystem 108 of housing 105, such as an antenna formed of a conductivebody. That way, case 103 can be apprised of the status of wirelesslistening device 101 (e.g., charging status and the like). Case 103 canalso include a speaker 123 coupled to case computing system 119 so thatspeaker 123 can emit audible noise capable of being heard by a user fornotification purposes.

Host device 130, to which housing 105 is an accessory, can be a portableelectronic device, such as a smart phone, tablet, or laptop computer.Host device 130 can include a host computing system 132 coupled to abattery 135 and a host memory bank 134 containing lines of codeexecutable by host computing system 132 for operating host device 130.Host device 130 can also include a host sensor system 136, e.g.,accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, and the like, for allowing hostdevice 130 to sense the environment, and a host user interface system138, e.g., display, speaker, buttons, touch screen, and the like, foroutputting information to and receiving input from a user. Additionally,host device 130 can also include a host communication system 140 forallowing host device 130 to send and/or receive data from the Internetor cell towers via wireless communication, e.g., wireless fidelity(WIFI), long term evolution (LTE), code division multiple access (CDMA),global system for mobiles (GSM), Bluetooth, and the like. In someembodiments, host communication system 140 can also communicate withcommunication system 108 in housing 105 via wireless communication line142 so that host device 130 can send sound data to housing 105 to outputsound, and receive data from housing 105 to receive user inputs.Communication line 142 can be any suitable wireless communication linesuch as Bluetooth connection. By enabling communication between hostdevice 130 and housing 105, wireless listening device 101 can enhancethe user interface of host device 130.

An example of such portable electronic listening device system is shownin FIG. 1B, which is a simplified illustration of an exemplary portableelectronic listening device system 150 having a host device 152configured as a smart phone, a case 154, and a pair of wirelesslistening devices 156 configured as a pair of in-ear hearing devices,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Host device 152can be wirelessly communicatively coupled with case 154 so that hostdevice 152 can receive the charge level data for case 154 and/or thecharge level data for wireless listening devices 156. Host device 152can also be wirelessly communicatively coupled with wireless listeningdevices 156 so that audio data can be transmitted to wireless listeningdevices 156 for play back to a user, and audio data can be received byhost device 152 as recorded/inputted from microphones in wirelesslistening devices 156. Wireless listening devices 156 can be wirelesslycommunicatively coupled with case 154 so that audio data from case 154can be transmitted to wireless listening devices 156. As an example,case 154 can be coupled to an audio source different than host device152 via a physical connection, e.g., an auxiliary cable connection. Theaudio data from the audio source can be outputted to case 154, which canthen wirelessly transmit the data to wireless listening devices 156.That way, a user can hear audio by way of wireless listening devices 156even though the audio device does not have wireless audio outputcapabilities.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, each wirelesslistening device 156 can include a housing 158 formed of a body 160 anda stem 162 extending from body 160, where housing 158 is formed of amonolithic outer structure. Body 160 can include an internally facingmicrophone 164 and an externally facing microphone 166 for purposesdiscussed herein with respect to FIGS. 7-10. Externally facingmicrophone 166 can be positioned within an opening defined by portionsof body 160 and stem 162 as shown in FIG. 1B. By extending into bothbody 160 and stem 162, microphone 166 can be large enough to receivesounds from a broader area around the user. In some embodiments, housing158 can be attached to an eartip 174 that can direct sound from aninternal audio driver out of housing 158 and into a user's ear canal.Thus, wireless listening devices 156 can be configured as in-ear hearingdevices. Stem 162 can be substantially cylindrical in construction, butit can include a planar region 168 that does not follow the curvature ofthe cylindrical construction. Planar region 168 can indicate an areawhere the wireless listening device is capable of receiving user input.For instance, a user input can be inputted by squeezing stem 162 atplanar region 168. Stem 162 can also include electrical contacts 170 and172 for making contact with corresponding electrical contacts in case154, as will be discussed further herein with respect to FIG. 20A.

As will be appreciated herein, wireless listening devices 156 caninclude several features can enable them to be worn by a user all day.Its eartip can be soft and pliable, and can include control leaks torelease trapped pressure in an ear canal so that it is comfortable towear. Its functionality can also enable wireless listening devices 156to provide an audio interface to host device 152 so that the user maynot need to utilize a graphical interface of host device 152. In otherwords, wireless listening devices 156 can be so sophisticated that itcan enable the user to perform day-to-day operations from host device152 solely through interactions with wireless listening devices 156.This can create further independence from host device 152 by notrequiring the user to physically interact with, and/or look at thedisplay screen of, host device 152, especially when the functionality ofwireless listening devices 156 is combined with the voice controlcapabilities of host device 152. Furthermore, wireless listening devices156 can function in transparent mode where audible sounds from thesurrounding environment can be recorded by externally facing microphone166 and immediately replicated to the user by outputting the soundthrough eartip 174 to be heard by the user. Additionally, for thoseusers that are hard of hearing, wireless listening devices 156 canincrease the volume of the sounds in the surrounding environment for theuser to hear. Moreover, for those users that are in an extremely loudenvironment, such as a user at a music concert, wireless listeningdevices 156 can decrease the volume of the sounds in the surroundingenvironment to a more acceptable level. This adjustment betweenincreasing and decreasing volume can occur automatically to maintain acertain decibel range, in some embodiments. Thus, wireless listeningdevices 156 can enable a true hands free experience for the user.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, eartip 124 canattach to, and detach from, housing 105, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.FIG. 2A is a side-view illustration of an exemplary wireless listeningdevice 200 including an eartip 204 and a housing 202, where eartip 204is attached to housing 202, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and FIG. 2B is a side view illustration of wirelesslistening device 200 where eartip 204 is detached from housing 202,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 2A, eartip 204 can include a tip region 206 and a base region 208that together form a monolithic structure, and a sound channel 210 thatextends through both tip region 206 and base region 208. Tip region 206can include a curved, annular surface 207 that inserts into an ear canalfor directing sound from housing 202 to the user, and can be formed of apliable material that can easily bend to conform to the inner surfacesof the ear canal for forming an acoustic seal.

Eartip 124 can attach to housing 105 in various ways. For instance,eartip 124 can be magnetically attached to housing using magnets tomagnetically attract eartip 124 to housing 105. Eartip 124 can also beattached to housing 105 using mechanical means, such as a screw andthreaded hole attachment. In such instances, an opening of housing 105can be threaded and base region 208 can be correspondingly threaded sothat eartip 124 can be screwed into housing 105. Furthermore, eartip 124can be simply adhered to housing 105 using an adhesive or any otherchemical bonding. In certain embodiments, eartip 124 can have featuresthat hook onto housing 105, or a separate wireform attachment mechanismcan be implemented in housing 105 to latch onto eartip 124. Furtherdetails of the construction of eartip 204 will be discussed furtherherein with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C and 3E. Eartip 204 can be detachedfrom housing 202, as shown in FIG. 2B, so that damaged eartips can beeasily replaced or so that different types and/or sizes of eartips canbe used to more comfortably fit in ear canals of different anatomicalshapes and sizes.

It is to be appreciated that eartip 204 and housing 202 can havedifferent configuration and functionality that result in improved soundquality and user experience. The details of such configurations andfunctionalities are discussed further herein.

II. Eartip

As mentioned above, an eartip can be attached to, and detached from, thehousing of a wireless listening device. When configured as an in-earhearing device or a hearing aid, the eartip can be positioned inside theear canal of a user and direct sound outputted by the housing into theear canal. In some embodiments, an attachment mechanism can beimplemented in the base of the eartip to enable the eartip to attach to,and detach from, the housing as discussed herein with respect to FIGS.3A-3C.

A. Construction of an Eartip and an Attachment Mechanism

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view 300 of an eartip 302 attached to anouter structure 304 of a housing via an attachment structure 308,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is to beappreciated that discussion of FIG. 3A may refer to FIG. 3B for a betterunderstanding of the structure of eartip 302. FIG. 3B is a top-down view301 of eartip 302, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

With reference to FIG. 3A, eartip 302 can include an eartip body formedof an inner eartip body 316 and an outer eartip body 322 that togetherform a monolithic structure. Outer eartip body 322 can extend around aperimeter/circumference of inner eartip body 316 and duringmanufacturing, can initially be formed together as a deformable tubethat is later folded over so that outer eartip body 322 is positionedoutside of inner eartip body 316 as shown. Inner eartip body 316 can becentered along a central axis 313 and define a sound channel 310 thatextends through eartip 302 between an interfacing end 312 and anattachment end 314 of the eartip body. Sound channel 310 can be vacantspace through which sound can travel from attachment end 314 tointerfacing end 312. In some embodiments, attachment end 314 can be anend of eartip 302 that is configured to attach to outer structure 304 ofthe housing so that sound generated by the housing can pass into soundchannel 310 through an acoustic opening 311 of outer structure 304; and,interfacing end 312 can be an end of eartip 302 opposite from attachmentend 314 where outer eartip body 324 begins to extend from inner eartipbody 316 (such as at the top end of eartip 302) and that is configuredto interface with (e.g., insert into) an ear canal of a user. Wheneartip 302 is attached to outer structure 304, sound channel 310 can besubstantially aligned with acoustic opening 311 of outer structure 304so that sound the from the housing can easily propagate into soundchannel 310.

Inner eartip body 316, in certain embodiments, can be substantiallycylindrical and can define a cylindrical sound channel 310. Thus, asshown in the top-down view 301 of FIG. 3B, sound channel 310 can besubstantially circular. It is to be appreciated that a circular profileis merely exemplary and that the top-down profile of sound channel 310can have other profiles, such as ovular, triangular, rectangular,oblong, and the like without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

With reference back to FIG. 3A, in some embodiments, eartip 302 caninclude a tip region 318 and a base region 320 (e.g., tip region 206 andbase region 208 in FIG. 2). Tip region 318 can be a part of eartip 302that inserts into the ear canal of the user while base region 320 can bea part of eartip 302 that extends toward and attaches to outer structure304 of the housing. Base region 320 can be configured so that eartip 302minimally protrudes from outer structure 304. For instance, base region320 can be configured so that tip region 318 is positioned a distance Daway from a non-protruding surface of outer structure 304 that is lessthan 3 mm, particularly less than 2 mm in some embodiments. By havingeartip 302 protrude a minimal distance away from outer structure 304 ofthe housing, eartip 302 may better resist inadvertent separation forcesto minimize accidental detachment, as well as minimally protrude fromthe user's ear when worn for a pleasing appearance.

In some embodiments, outer eartip body 322 can be a part of tip region318 that extends from, and is coupled to, inner eartip body 316 atinterface end 312 of eartip 302 toward attachment end 314. Outer eartipbody 322 can bend and conform to the contours of the ear canal to forman acoustic seal to prevent sound from leaking out of the ear canal.Thus, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, outereartip body 322 can be formed of a thin, compliant material, e.g.,silicone, thermoplastic urethane, thermoplastic elastomer, or the like,that can easily bend and deflect inward and outward to conform tovarious contours of the ear canal. To allow outer eartip body 322 todeflect inward and outward, outer eartip body 322 can be like acantilever where its end closest to attachment end 314 is positioned adistance away from inner eartip body 316 to define a deflection zone 323formed of vacant space within which outer eartip body 322 can freelydeflect. In some additional and alternative embodiments, inner eartipbody 316 can also be formed of the same material as outer eartip body322 but of a different, e.g., larger, thickness so that a substantialportion of eartip 300 as a whole can be formed of the compliantmaterial. Inner eartip body 316 can have a larger thickness than outereartip body 322 because it does not contact the ear canal and providessome structural integrity to eartip 300; thus, it does not need to be ascompliant as outer eartip body 322 for conforming to the ear canal.

Outer eartip body 322 can include a curved interface surface 324 that issized and shaped to make contact with the inner surfaces of the earcanal for forming an acoustic seal when the wireless listening device isworn by the user. Outer eartip body 322 can taper toward interfacing end312 to make it easier for the user to insert eartip 302 into his or herear canal. In some embodiments, a part of outer eartip body 322 closestto attachment end 314 can bend back toward inner eartip body 316 toreduce the chances of outer eartip body 322 flipping inside-out.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, eartip 302 caninclude attachment structure 308 for securely attaching to outerstructure 304. As mentioned herein, eartip 302 can be formed of acompliant material such as silicone. Compliant materials may not easilyattach to stiff structures alone. Thus, attachment structure 308 can beimplemented to provide some rigidity for certain parts of eartip 302 toenable eartip 302 to securely attach to outer structure 304. In someembodiments, attachment structure 308 is positioned within base portion320 and may extend into a portion of tip portion 318 closest toattachment end 314 so that attachment structure 308 can help attacheartip 302 to outer structure 304 of the housing. Attachment structure308 can be formed of a stiff, rigid material such as plastic or thermalplastic urethane (TPU) that is strong enough to achieve the desiredattachment characteristics suitable for attaching eartip 302 with outerstructure 304. In some embodiments, attachment structure 308 is formedto be more rigid than inner eartip body 316 and outer eartip body 322.

Attachment structure 308 can include a mesh 309 for preventing debrisand other unwanted particles from falling into the housing throughacoustic opening 311. Mesh 309 can be an interlaced structure formed ofa network of wire that allows sound to propagate through but preventsdebris from passing through. In some embodiments, mesh 309 extends intoa portion of attachment structure 308 so that mesh 309 can be securelyfixed within eartip 302 by the rigid structure of attachment structure308. Attachment structure 308 can also include a plurality of attachmentfeatures 326 that protrude out of attachment end 304 and are configuredto physically couple with outer structure 304. In some instances,attachment features 326 can be separately positioned around a perimeterof attachment structure 308 so that attachment features 326 can attachto discrete locations of outer structure 304. Each attachment feature326 can include an arm and a hook that secures to outer structure 304,as better shown in FIG. 3C.

FIG. 3C is a close-up, cross-sectional view illustration of attachmentstructure 308 attached to outer structure 304 via attachment features326, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Attachmentstructure 308 can include a frame portion 328 and attachment features326 that together form a monolithic structure. Frame portion 328 can bea ring positioned around central axis 313, and can include a groove 330extending around an outer circumference of frame portion 328. Groove 330can increase the surface area that contacts inner eartip body 316 toenhance the structural coupling between inner eartip body 316 andattachment structure 308. In some embodiments, attachment features 326can extend from frame portion 328 in a direction that is parallel to thecentral axis 313 so that attachment features 326 can attach to outerstructure 304 and position central axis 313 at an angle that issubstantially perpendicular to the plane in which outer structure 304 isoriented at the attachment location (which is shown to be horizontal inFIG. 3A). Each attachment feature 326 can include an arm 332 and a hook334 for attaching to outer structure 304. Hook 334 can be a portion ofattachment feature 326 that bends away from central axis 313 ofattachment structure 308 so that hook 334 can grab onto a lip 336 ofouter structure 304 that protrudes into acoustic opening 311 of outerstructure 304. In some embodiments, lip 336 extends into acousticopening 311 and includes an attachment surface 335 to which hook 334 canattach. Arm 332 can be a cantilevered structure that applies outwardforce when hook 334 is engaged with lip 336 to secure eartip 302 toouter structure 304 of the housing. In some embodiments, lip 336 canextend a short distance away from outer structure 304 and provide aslanted surface upon which base portion 320 of eartip 302 can rest asshown in FIG. 3C to further secure a robust attachment.

In some embodiments, the plurality of attachment features 326 can secureeartip 302 to outer structure 304 with a force that is strong enough towithstand inadvertent detachment (e.g., when the listening device isrepositioned in an ear canal or is being held in a user's hand), butweak enough to allow intentional detachment by the user (e.g., when theuser wants to change eartip types or when the user wants to clean eartip302). The plurality of attachment features 326 can also provide tactilefeedback when engaged, such as a snapping sensation, when hooks 334engage with lip 336. Furthermore, as can be appreciated herein,attachment structure 308 allows eartip 302 to attach to outer structure304 by inserting into an opening of outer structure 304, instead ofwrapping around a rigid protrusion of outer structure 304 as isconventionally done. Accordingly, when attached, a portion of eartip 302may be positioned within outer structure 304 of the housing. In suchembodiments, attachment structure 308 requires less total space tosecurely attach eartip 302 with outer structure 304, and moves thefailure point in the event of a drop/bend/pinch event to base region 320of eartip 302 as opposed to outer structure 304 of the housing. Thissubstantially reduces the cost of replacement/repair of the wirelesslistening device/in-ear hearing device.

Constructing eartip 302 with a circular profile as shown in the top-downview in FIG. 3B simplifies alignment with acoustic opening 311 of outerstructure 304. However, alignment may be more difficult to achieve wheneartip 302 is intended to be oriented a certain way when attached toouter structure 304, even more so when eartip 302 is non-circular. Thus,in some embodiments, alignment magnets can be implemented in eartip 302and outer structure 304 to guide them into proper alignment when theyare placed proximate to one another. For instance, a first magnet 338can be positioned within bottom region 320 of eartip 302 adjacent to asurface that makes contact with outer structure 304, and a second magnet340 can be positioned within lip 336 of outer structure 304 adjacent toa surface that makes contact with eartip 302 so that magnet 338 canattract magnet 340 to properly orient eartip 302 with outer structure304 during attachment. Implementing magnets 338 and 340 into both eartip302 and outer structure 304 of the housing, respectively, can ease theway in which the two components achieve alignment when attachingtogether.

Although FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate attachment structure 308 as having aplurality of discrete attachment features 326, embodiments are notlimited to such configurations. For instance, instead of having aplurality of attachment features that each have an individual arm andhook, some embodiments can have a single, annular attachment featurethat attaches to an entire perimeter of acoustic opening 311 of outerstructure 304. It is to be appreciated that attachment features having avariety of other types of hooks that extend into acoustic opening 311for attaching to outer structure 304 can be envisioned herein. Forexample, various attachment feature designs incorporating wireformattachment mechanisms for attaching an eartip with a housing accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure are further discussed andillustrated herein with respect to FIGS. 3D-3Q.

FIG. 3D is an exploded view illustration of an exemplary wirelesslistening device 350 including a wireform attachment mechanism 351 forattaching an eartip 352 to a housing 353, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure. In some instances, eartip 352 can be attachedto a nozzle 359, and nozzle 359 can be securely attached to, or be aportion of, housing 353. When configured to be securely attached tohousing 353, nozzle 359 can be a separate structure from housing 353that is attached via welding or adhesive so that nozzle 359 cannotseparate from housing 353. Alternatively, when configured to be aportion of housing 353, nozzle 359 can be a monolithic portion ofhousing 353 that protrudes outward away from housing 353. Nozzle 359 caninclude openings 361 through which portions of wireform attachmentmechanism 351 can extend to latch eartip 352 to housing 353, and nozzle359 can include a mesh 303 to cover the opening of nozzle 359 andprevent dust and debris from entering housing 353, as will be discussedfurther herein with respect to FIG. 3I. Wireform attachment mechanism351 can be an independent and separate structure from nozzle 359 andhousing 353 that makes contact with both components. Because eartip 352attaches to housing 353 by way of wireform attachment mechanism 351,eartip 352 may be configured to complement the design of wireformattachment mechanism 351, as will be discussed further herein.

FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view illustration of eartip 352 configuredto attach to a housing by way of a wireform attachment mechanism,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Like eartip 302in FIG. 3A, eartip 352 can include an eartip body formed of an innereartip body 325 and an outer eartip body 327 that together form amonolithic structure. Outer eartip body 327 can extend around aperimeter/circumference of inner eartip body 325 and duringmanufacturing, can initially be formed together as a deformable tubethat is later folded over so that outer eartip body 327 is positionedoutside of inner eartip body 325 as shown in FIG. 3E. Inner eartip body325 can be centered along a central axis 329 and define a sound channel331 that extends through inner eartip body 325 between an interfacingend 333 and an attachment end 337 of the eartip body. In someembodiments, attachment end 337 can be an end of the eartip body that isconfigured to attach to the housing via a nozzle and a wireformattachment feature so that sound generated by the housing can pass intosound channel 331 through an acoustic opening of the housing; and,interfacing end 333 can be an end of eartip 352 opposite from attachmentend 337 where outer eartip body 327 begins to extend from inner eartipbody 325, such as at the top end of the eartip body.

Inner eartip body 325, in certain embodiments, can be substantiallyovular and can define a sound channel 331; thus, the top-down outerprofile of eartip 352 can also be substantially ovular or oblong in someinstances. However, embodiments are not limited to such configurationsand can have other profiles, such as circular, triangular, rectangular,and the like without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

Like eartip 302 in FIG. 3A, eartip 352 can also include a tip region 339and a base region 341. Tip region 339 can be a part of eartip 352 thatinserts into the ear canal of the user while base region 341 can be apart of eartip 352 that extends toward and attaches to the housing. Baseregion 341 can be configured so that eartip 352 minimally protrudes fromthe outer structure of the housing, e.g., distance D in FIG. 3A, therebyenabling eartip 352 to better resist inadvertent separation forces tominimize accidental detachment, as well as minimally protrude from theuser's ear when worn for a pleasing appearance.

In some embodiments, eartip 352 can include an attachment structure 343that is formed of a different and stiffer material than what is used toconstruct the eartip body. Attachment structure 343 can be formed of astiffer material so that its rigidity can be more suitable for attachingto the housing. Attachment structure 343 can include an upper region 378and a lower region 399 that extends from upper region 373. Upper region378 can have a more horizontal disposition than lower region 399, whichmay be more vertical than upper region 378, thereby being an invertedu-shaped profile as shown. Unlike attachment structure 308 in FIG. 3Awhich has features that actively grip onto the housing, attachmentstructure 343 instead includes recesses 345 a-b around lower region 399for providing latching points for wireform attachment mechanism 351 forattachment. Recesses 345 a-b can be cavities defined by an inner surface344 of lower region 399 of attachment structure 343 that passively allowa wireform attachment mechanism to secure eartip 352 to a housing. Forinstance, portions of the lower region below recesses 345 a-b can forman inverted overhang structure that hooks onto an external structure,such as an end cap of a wireform attachment structure, as will bediscussed further herein with respect to FIGS. 3J-3L. Inner eartip body325 can interface with attachment structure 343 at a boundary 376 whereinner eartip body 325 initially makes contact with attachment structure343 as shown by a dashed and dotted line. Boundary 376 can be defined byan imaginary horizontal line positioned between interfacing end 333 andattachment end 337, as shown in FIG. 3E.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thicknessof a sidewall of inner eartip body 325 can gradually change from one endto the other. The sidewall of inner eartip body 325 can be defined by aportion of inner eartip body 325 disposed between boundary 376 andinterfacing end 333. As an example, inner eartip body 325 can have afirst sidewall thickness T1 closest to boundary 376 and a secondsidewall thickness T2 closest to interfacing end 333 that is smallerthan the first sidewall thickness T1. In some instances, the thicknessof the sidewall gradually decreases from first sidewall thickness T1 tosecond sidewall thickness T2, as shown in FIG. 3E. Furthermore, in someembodiments, the inner surface of inner eartip body 325 may besubstantially vertical while the outer surface of inner eartip body 325may be sloped so that the gradual change in thickness is created by thesloped surface of the outer surface of inner eartip body 325. Having athinner sidewall thickness at interfacing end 333 enables the eartipbody to be more pliable at interfacing end 333 so that eartip 352 can bemore comfortable to the user when worn. In certain embodiments, thethickness of outer eartip body 327 can be the same as the secondsidewall thickness T2 of inner eartip body 325.

Although FIG. 3E illustrates the eartip body that includes inner eartipbody 325 separated from outer eartip body 327 by a deflection zone,embodiments are not so limited. In some embodiments, inner eartip body325 and outer eartip body 327 can be one solid, compliant structureformed of silicone. Thus, a deflection zone may not be defined betweeninner eartip body 325 and outer eartip body 327. Any other type ofconfiguration is envisioned herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

Eartip 352 can also include a mesh 303 for preventing debris and otherunwanted particles from falling completely through sound channel 331.Mesh 303 can be a soft, porous fabric that allows sound to propagatethrough but prevents debris from passing through. For instance, mesh 303can be formed of a polyester fabric. In some embodiments, mesh 303extends into upper region 378 of attachment structure 343 so that mesh303 can be securely fixed within eartip 352 by the rigid structure ofattachment structure 343.

As can be appreciated from the illustration of FIG. 3E, the structure ofthe eartip body (i.e., inner eartip body 325 and outer eartip body 327)can be formed of a different, more pliable material than what is usedfor forming attachment structure 343. For instance, inner eartip body325 and outer eartip body 327 can be formed of silicone, whileattachment structure 343 is formed of a stiff polymer, such aspolycarbonate. Thus, to form eartip 352, the soft pliable structure ofinner eartip body 325 may be securely attached to attachment structure343. In some embodiments, inner eartip body 325 and outer eartip body327 are molded over attachment structure 343 so that a degree ofchemical bonding is achieved at the interface between the two structuresduring the manufacturing process. However, in some additionalembodiments, several through-holes 349 can be positioned around an upperregion of attachment structure 343 to allow the soft material of whichinner eartip body 325 is formed to pass from an outer surface 342 ofattachment structure 343 to an inner surface 344 of attachment structure343. In some instances, the amount of material that passes throughthrough-holes 349 can result in a formation of a thin, annular structure346 that extends across a part of inner surface 344 of attachmentfeature 343 near through-holes 349. The combination of annular structure346 and structural pass-throughs between inner eartip body 325 andattachment structure 343 creates a mechanical interlocking feature thatfurther strengthens the bond between inner eartip body 325 andattachment structure 343. In some instances, annular structure 346 canbe an extension of inner eartip body 325 that covers at least part ofinner surface 344 of attachment structure 343. Thus, annular structure346, material within pass-throughs 349, inner eartip body 325, and outereartip body 327 can all be part of a same monolithic structure.

In some embodiments, attachment structure 343 also includes a controlleak 348 set in a cavity region 307, as will be discussed further hereinwith respect to FIG. 6D. Control leak 348 can provide an atmosphericpass-through between an outside environment and sound channel 331 sothat eartip 352 does not completely seal the ear canal and trap pressurewithin the ear canal. This can allow for a more comfortable userexperience and can also improve the acoustic performance of thelistening device. Cavity region 307 can be a shallow cavity defined byinner surface 344 of attachment structure 343 to mitigate the chances ofcontrol leak 348 from being occluded from the inside of inner eartipbody 325, as will be discussed further herein with respect to FIG. 6E.In some embodiments, outer eartip body 327 can be modified to mitigatethe changes of control leak 348 from being occluded from the outside ofinner eartip body 325, as will be discussed further here with respect toFIGS. 6F-6H.

In some instances, inner eartip body 325 can further include an annularattachment flange 360 extending around a perimeter of attachmentstructure 343 at attachment end 337. Attachment flange 360 can form anacoustic seal by pressing against an inner side surface of a housing,e.g., housing 353 in FIG. 3D. Attachment flange 360 can extend away fromcenter line 329 of inner eartip body 325 and in an upward and lateraldirection as shown in FIG. 3E. By configuring attachment flange 360 toextend upward and laterally, the directionality of the collapse ofattachment flange 360 when it makes contact with the housing can becontrolled. Because attachment flange 360 is part of inner eartip body325, attachment flange 360 can be formed of the same material as innereartip body 325, such as silicone. In some instances, attachment flange360 can be an extension of inner eartip body 325 that covers at leastpart of outer surface 342 of attachment structure 343. Thus, attachmentflange 360, inner eartip body 325, and outer eartip body 327 can all bepart of a same monolithic structure.

With reference back to FIG. 3D, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, wireform attachment mechanism 351 can attach eartip352 to nozzle 359, and thus to housing 353. Wireform attachmentmechanism 351 can be configured to enable eartip 352 to mechanicallyattach to and detach from housing 353. In some embodiments, wireformattachment mechanism 351 can enable eartip 352 to latch onto nozzle 359with application of low insertion force and resist separation fromhousing 353 once eartip 352 is latched onto nozzle 359. Once eartip 352is attached to nozzle 359, wireform attachment mechanism 351 does nothave to apply active force to maintain attachment. Rather, the physicalstructure of wireform attachment mechanism 351 can allow eartip 352 toremain attached to nozzle 359. That way, wireform attachment mechanism351 does not have to apply a high amount of active force to keep eartip352 attached to nozzle 359 and allow attachment by application of a lowinsertion force, as will be discussed further herein with respect toFIG. 3I.

Wireform attachment mechanism 351 can include a body formed of a single,contiguous strip of wire that is bent in various directions to create acompressible spring that can apply pressure in a lateral direction toattach eartip 352 to nozzle 359. FIGS. 3F-3H are illustrations ofwireform attachment mechanism 351 that has an s-shaped profileconfigured to compress toward its center when engaging with an eartip,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically,FIG. 3F is a top-down view illustration of wireform attachment mechanism351 in its uncompressed state, FIG. 3G is a top-down view illustrationof uncompressed wireform attachment mechanism 351 superimposed over itscompressed state, and FIG. 3H is a side-view illustration of wireformattachment mechanism 351 superimposed over its release state, accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3F, the strip of wire forming wireform attachmentmechanism 351 can have an s-shape profile that includes a center segment354 having opposing ends from which two wireform features extend. Thetwo wireform features can include a first wireform feature 355 a and asecond wireform feature 355 b that each includes respective intermediatesegments 356 a-b, u-shaped segments 357 a-b, and end segments 358 a-b.U-shaped segments 357 a-b can be positioned between intermediatesegments 356 a-b and end segments 358 a-b as shown in FIG. 3F. U-shapedsegments 357 a-b may not appear to have a u-shaped profile from thetop-down view in FIG. 3F because the u-shaped profile of the bent wireextends into/out of the page, but its u-shaped profile may be moreapparent in FIG. 3D which shows a perspective view of wireformattachment mechanism 351. With reference back to FIG. 3F, in someembodiments, center segment 354 can have a substantially straightprofile/construction, and intermediate segments 356 a-b extending fromcenter segment 354 can have an arcuate profile/construction. Thecurvature of intermediate segments 356 a-b can conform to a segment of acorresponding outer profile of nozzle 359 so that intermediate segments356 a-b can achieve a better fit with nozzle 359. Wireform attachmentmechanism 351 can also include end caps 366 a-b that cover respectivelateral bend portions 375 a-b of u-shaped segments 357 a-b. As shown inthe side-view illustration in FIG. 3H, end caps 366 a-b can have abeveled top corner 377 a-b and a flat bottom surface 379 b. Beveled topcorner 377 a-b can transition vertical insertion force into lateralforce to bend wireform attachment mechanism 380 during attachment, andflat bottom surface 379 b can resist separation of the eartip onceattached and lock onto respective portions of an attachment structure(e.g., portions of the lower region of the attachment structure belowrecesses 345 a-b discussed herein with respect to FIG. 3E).

In some embodiments, center segment 354, intermediate segments 356 a-band end segments 358 a-b can be substantially positioned in a same firstplane, while u-shaped segments 357 a-b can be substantially positionedin different but parallel second and third planes. The first plane canbe positioned at an angle from the second and third planes. Forinstance, the first plane can be substantially perpendicular to thesecond and third planes, or at any other suitable angle withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, wireform features 355 a-b can each include respective endcaps 366 a-b that cover the center portion of u-shaped segments 357 a-bto provide a better fit with nozzle 359 and eartip 352 when eartip 352is attached to housing 353 via wireform attachment mechanism 351.

During attachment, the eartip can press against end caps 366 a-b untilend caps 366 a-b snap into the recesses in the nozzle, as will bediscussed further herein with respect to FIGS. 3J-3L. When pressingagainst end caps 366 a-b, wireform attachment mechanism 351 can bendinto a compressed state 315, as shown in FIG. 3G represented by a dottedsilhouette of parts of wireform attachment mechanism 351, to allow theattachment structure of the eartip to slide over the nozzle. In someembodiments, opposite halves of wireform attachment mechanism 351 can becantilever beams that bend from a midpoint 317 of center segment 354.Each half of wireform attachment mechanism 351 can have a long beamlength so that they bend at a lower insertion forces than otherconfigurations with shorter beam lengths. The beam length can be definedby the length of wireform attachment mechanism 351 from midpoint 317 toone of its ends.

During extraction, the eartip can be pulled away from the housing torelease end caps 366 a-b from the recesses of the eartip. Instead ofresulting in a bending motion as shown in FIG. 3G to release end caps366 a-b from the recesses, extraction can result in a torsional motionas shown in FIG. 3H. During the torsional motion, wireform attachmentmechanism 351 can rotate the u-shaped segments 357 a-b around axesdefined by a line perpendicular to the page that intersects the twopoints where the end segments 358 a-b and intermediate segment 356 a-bmeet u-shaped segments 357 a-b, as shown by axes 319 a-b in FIG. 3H.That way, when u-shaped segments 357 a-b rotate along curves 321 a-baround axes 319 a-b, end caps 366 a-b can move inwards to allow theeartip to be released from the housing and separated. The direction ofcurves 321 a-b along which u-shaped segments 357 a-b rotate can beopposite from one another. For instance, curve 321 a can be clockwisewhile curve 321 b can be counter-clockwise, as shown in FIG. 3H.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wireformattachment mechanism 351 may be easier to bend than it is to move in atorsional rotation, and thus have a high torsional force to bendingforce ratio. This characteristic can be attributed in part to the longbeam length resulting from the s-shape profile, as well as theproperties of the wire itself, which can have a torsional rigidity thatis higher than its bending rigidity due to the nature of a long and thinwire. This high ratio can allow wireform attachment mechanism 351 toallow an eartip to attach to a housing with a low insertion force whilerequiring a higher extraction force to release the eartip from thehousing. This force profile enhances user experience because it enablesthe eartip to be easily yet robustly connected to the housing. In someembodiments, the force at which end caps 366 a-b set into recesses ofthe eartip can generate an audible noise that can give the user anotherdegree of feedback to confirm that the eartip has been attached.

To attach eartip 352 and nozzle 359 to housing 353, wireform attachmentmechanism 351 can apply lateral force at the end caps 366 a-b in thehorizontal direction away from center segment 354. End caps 366 a-b canfit through openings 361 of nozzle 359 and within respective recesses ineartip 352 to attach eartip 352 to housing 353, which is betterillustrated in FIG. 3I.

FIG. 3I is a cross-sectional view illustration of eartip 352 attached tohousing 353 via wireform attachment mechanism 351, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. Eartip 352 can be directlyattached to nozzle 359, which can be (1) a separate structure that issecurely attached to housing 353 as shown in FIG. 3I, or (2) aprotruding monolithic portion of housing 353 (not shown). Nozzle 359 caninclude mesh 303 that covers the opening of nozzle 359 to prevent dustand debris from entering housing 353. Mesh 303 can be formed as amulti-layered structure including a cosmetic mesh 305 a and an acousticmesh 305 b adhered to the cosmetic mesh, where cosmetic mesh 305 a formsan outer surface of nozzle 359 and is formed of an interlaced network ofstiff wire, while acoustic mesh 305 b is adhered to an inner surface ofcosmetic mesh 305 a and is formed of a porous fabric. For instance,cosmetic mesh 305 a can be formed of interlaced stainless steel andacoustic mesh 305 b can be formed of polyester. To securely attachnozzle 359 to housing 353, a welding ring 363 can be used to securelyattach housing 353 to nozzle 359. Welding ring 363 can be a stiffstructure in the shape of a flat ring having a top surface 364 andbottom surface 365 opposite from top surface 364. In some embodiments,housing 353 and nozzle 359 can be welded to top surface 364 of weldingring 363 so that housing 353 and nozzle 359 are securely attached to oneanother. Welding ring 363 can be formed of any suitable material, suchas a metal. It is to be understood that FIG. 3I is a close-up view ofhow wireform attachment mechanism 351 attaches eartip 352 housing 353and nozzle 359, so only portions of eartip 352 and housing 353 areshown.

As shown in FIG. 3I, wireform attachment mechanism 351 can includeu-shaped segments 357 a-b whose center portions are covered by end caps366 a-b. End caps 366 a-b can extend through openings 361 in nozzle 359and into eartip 352. In some embodiments, end caps 366 a-b can extendinto respective recesses 368 a-b in eartip 352. Recesses 368 a-b can beformed in a frame portion 362 of eartip 352. As mentioned herein, eartip352 can be formed of a compliant material such as silicone, which maynot easily attach to stiff structures, e.g., end caps 366 a-b, alone.Thus, frame portion 362 can be implemented in eartip 352 to provide somerigidity for securely attaching eartip 352 to nozzle 359 via wireformattachment mechanism 351. Frame portion 362 can be formed of a stiff,rigid material such as plastic or thermal plastic urethane (TPU) that isstrong enough to achieve the desired attachment characteristics suitablefor attaching eartip 352 with nozzle 359. In some embodiments, frameportion 362 is formed to be more rigid than the inner eartip body andouter eartip body, e.g., inner eartip body 316 and outer eartip body 322in FIG. 3A, of eartip 352.

FIGS. 3J-3L are a series of illustrations showing different points alongthe process of attaching eartip 352 to nozzle 359, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. To attach eartip 352 to nozzle359 (and thus to housing 353), eartip 352 can be pressed into housing353 in a downward direction 369 as shown in FIG. 3J. Pressing eartip 352downward causes frame portion 362 of eartip 352 to press against endcaps 366 a-b of wireform attachment mechanism 351, as shown in FIG. 3K.In some instances, frame portion 362 of eartip 352 presses against endcaps 366 a-b with a force in a lateral inward direction 370 towardcenter segment 354 such that end caps 366 a-b deflect inward as itslides along frame portion 362. Center segment 354 of wireformattachment mechanism 351 can allow each wireform feature to shiftlaterally toward center segment 354. In some embodiments, u-shapedsegments 357 a-b can move horizontally toward center segment 354 as awhole, as shown in FIG. 3K. End caps 366 a-b can include respectivebeveled corners 373 a-b so that end caps 366 a-b can transition verticaldownward force into lateral inward force that presses end caps 366 a-binward toward center segment 354 when force in downward direction 369 isapplied to attach eartip 352 to nozzle 359. Once end caps 366 a-b reachrecesses 368 a-b as shown in FIG. 3L, end caps 366 a-b can click intoplace as the spring forces generated by the s-shape profile of wireformattachment mechanism 351 press in a lateral outward direction 371 awayfrom center segment 354. When end caps 366 a-b are clicked into place,eartip 352 can be successfully attached to nozzle 359 and housing 353,and an acoustic seal can be formed by attachment flange 360 at interface374. Attachment flange 360 can press against the inner surface ofhousing 353 in a lateral direction; thus, attachment flange 360 can forma radial seal with housing 353. In some embodiments, clicking end caps366 a-b into recesses 368 a provides a tactile feel that gives the userfeedback to indicate when successful attachment has occurred, which canresult in an enhanced user experience.

With reference back to FIG. 3I, when eartip 352 is attached to nozzle359 and housing 353, wireform attachment mechanism 351 can resistseparation forces in an upward direction 372 by blocking the upwardmovement of eartip 352 with end caps 366 a-b. In some embodiments, endcaps 366 a-b are positioned to interfere with the vertical movement offrame portion 362 so that their structure passively resists separationof eartip 352 from housing 353. Thus, wireform attachment mechanism doesnot need to apply active clamping force to hold eartip 352 in place.This design is robust and reliable and does not lose resistance strengthover time. In certain embodiments, the slope of beveled corners 373 a-ballow end caps 366 a-b to easily press inward toward center segment 354when force in downward direction 369 is applied to attach eartip 352 tonozzle 359. Conversely, the bottom corner of end cap 366 a-b may notinclude beveled corners so that end caps 366 a-b can resistsubstantially greater separation forces in upward direction 372. Thus,eartip 352 can be attached under the application of low insertion forcein downward direction 367 and separated under the application of highforce in upward direction 372. This force profile enabled by wireformattachment mechanism 351 can provide improved user experience andattachment reliability. In some embodiments, the attachment forcesufficient to attach eartip 352 to nozzle 359 can be applied by a set ofmagnets (not shown). The magnets can be placed at regions in eartip 532and nozzle 359 near interface 374 or any other interface where eartip532 and nozzle 359 meet so that attractive magnetic forces can draweartip 532 to nozzle 359 with enough force to effectuate attachment.

In some embodiments, u-shaped segments 357 a-b can include respectivelateral bend portions 367 a-b to which end caps 366 a-b are attached, asshown in FIG. 3I. Lateral bend portions 367 a-b can extend in ahorizontal plane parallel to the plane in which center segment 351 andintermediate segments 356 a-b are positioned in a non-overlappingmanner. Thus, lateral bend portions 367 a-b can be positioned at anangle with respect to the rest of the u-shaped segment 357 a-b, such asat a 90 degree angle. Lateral bend portions can improve the structuralstrength of end caps 366 a-b and provide a stiff frame to which it canattach.

Although FIGS. 3D-3L discuss wireform attachment mechanisms configuredwith s-shape profiles, embodiments are not limited to suchconfigurations. It is to be appreciated that any wireform shape can beused to attach eartips to housings without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. Examples of some suitable variations ofwireform attachment mechansims are discussed herein with respect toFIGS. 3M-3O and FIGS. 3P-3Q.

FIGS. 3M-3O illustrate an exemplary wireform attachment mechanism 380that has a u-shaped profile configured to compress toward its centerwhen engaging with an eartip, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 3M is a top-down viewillustration of wireform attachment mechanism 380 in its uncompressedstate, FIG. 3N is a top-down view illustration of uncompressed wireformattachment mechanism 380 superimposed over its compressed state, andFIG. 3O is a bottom-up perspective view illustration of wireformattachment mechanism 380 positioned in a nozzle, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3M, wireform attachment mechanism 380 can beconstructed of a single, contiguous strip of wire that is bent to have au-shaped profile that includes u-shaped segments (not seen from thisview) having respective lateral bend portions 381 a-b coupled torespective end segments 382 a-b. Each end segment 382 a-b can have afirst end coupled to a respective u-shaped segment and an oppositesecond end that is dangling, e.g., not connected to any other part ofwireform attachment mechanism 380. Unlike wireform attachment mechanism351 in FIG. 3D, wireform attachment mechanism 380 may not include acenter segment, but instead may just have an connecting segment 383formed of a single curve of wire having an arcuate profile. Thus,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wireformattachment mechanism 380 can include two wireform features that aredelineated by a center line 386 and configured as mirror images of oneanother where each wireform feature includes an intermediate segmentformed by a respective half of connecting segment 383. Connectingsegment 383 can be coupled to ends of lateral bend portions 381 a-bopposite from the ends to which lateral bend portion 381 a-b areattached. In some embodiments, end caps 384 a-b can be attached overlateral bend portions 381 a-b, similar to end caps 366 a-b and lateralbend portions 375 a-b discussed herein with respect to FIG. 3I, forinserting into respective openings in the nozzle for attaching an eartipto the nozzle.

During attachment, as discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 3J-3L, theeartip can press against end caps 384 a-b until a certain point at whichend caps 384 a-b snap into the recesses in the nozzle. When pressingagainst end caps 384 a-b, wireform attachment mechanism 380 can bendinto a compressed state 385, as shown in FIG. 3N represented by a dottedsilhouette of parts of wireform attachment mechanism 380, to allow theframe portion of the eartip to slide over the nozzle. In someembodiments, opposite halves of wireform attachment mechanism 380 (whendivided by a center line 386) can be cantilever beams that are fixed ata joint region 387 of connecting segment 383. During compression, insome instances, each entire half can move toward center line 386 in ahorizontal direction while bending at joint region 387. In thecompressed state, opposite halves of wireform attachment mechanism 380divided by a center line 381 can be positioned closer to center line 381than when wireform attachment mechanism 380 is in an uncompressed state.Furthermore parts of wireform attachment mechanism 380 positionedfarther away from joint region 387 may move more during compression thanparts of wireform attachment mechanism 380 positioned closer to jointregion 387.

As shown in FIG. 3O, nozzle 359 can have an inner surface 388 thatmatches the curvature of wireform attachment mechanism 380. Innersurface 388 can include a recess 389 that provides space for endsegments 382 a-b to be positioned, as well as to provide clearance spacefor allowing end segments 382 a-b to move when wireform attachmentmechanism 380 transitions from an uncompressed state to a compressedstate, as discussed herein with respect to FIG. 3N. In some embodiments,joint region 387 of wireform attachment mechanism 380 can be freelyresting on inner surface 388, or joint region 387 can be securelyattached to inner surface 388 via an adhesive, welding, or any othersuitable attachment method. Joint region 387 can be relatively small toallow a substantial majority of wireform attachment mechanism 380 moveduring compression, as shown in FIG. 3N. However, in some embodiments,joint region 387 can be relatively large to allow only a small portionof wireform attachment mechanism 380 move during compression, asdiscussed herein with respect to FIGS. 3P-3Q.

FIGS. 3P-3Q illustrate an exemplary wireform attachment mechanism 390that has a u-shaped profile configured to rotate its end caps around anaxis when engaging with an eartip, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 3P is a side view illustration ofuncompressed wireform attachment mechanism 390 superimposed over itscompressed state, and FIG. 3Q is a bottom-up perspective viewillustration of wireform attachment mechanism 390 positioned in anozzle, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Similar to wireform attachment mechanism 380, wireform attachmentmechanism 390 shown in FIG. 3P can be constructed of a single,contiguous strip of wire that is bent to have a u-shaped profilesubstantially similar to that shown in FIG. 3M. Accordingly, wireformattachment mechanism 390 can include a pair of lateral bend portions 391a-b coupled to respective u-shaped segments 392 a-b that are coupledtogether via a connecting segment 393 formed of a single curve of wire.According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wireformattachment mechanism 390 can include two wireform features that aredelineated by a center line 396 and configured as mirror images of oneanother. Each wireform feature can include an end segment, a u-shapedsegment including a lateral bend portion, and an intermediate segmentformed by a respective half of connecting segment 393. Connectingsegment 393 can be coupled to ends of lateral bend portions 391 a-bopposite from the ends to which lateral bend portion 391 a-b areattached. End caps 394 a-b can be attached over lateral bend portions391 a-b for inserting into respective openings in the nozzle forattaching an eartip to the nozzle.

When the eartip presses against end caps 394 a-b during attachment,wireform attachment mechanism 390 can bend into a compressed state 395,as shown in FIG. 3P and represented by a dotted silhouette of parts ofwireform attachment mechanism 390, to allow the frame portion of theeartip to slide over the nozzle. Unlike wireform attachment mechanism380 where the entire halves compresses laterally during attachment,wireform attachment mechanism 390 can instead rotate only the u-shapedsegments 392 a-b around an axis. The axis can be defined by a line thatintersects the two points where the end segments and intermediatesegment meet u-shaped segments 392 a-b, as shown by axes 396 a-b in FIG.3M. That way, when u-shaped segments 392 a-b rotate along curves 397 a-baround axes 396 a-b, end caps 394 a-b can move inwards to allow theeartip to move toward the nozzle until end caps 394 a-b snap intorecesses of the eartip, as discussed herein with respect to FIG. 3L. Thedirection of curves 397 a-b along which u-shaped segments 392 a-b rotatecan be opposite from one another. For instance, curve 397 a can beclockwise while curve 397 b can be counter-clockwise, as shown in FIG.3P.

As shown in FIG. 3Q, wireform attachment mechanism 390 can rest on innersurface 388 of nozzle 359. In some embodiments, connecting segment 393can be freely resting on inner surface 388, or connecting segment 393can be securely attached to inner surface 388 via an adhesive, welding,or any other suitable attachment method. In certain embodiments, a vastmajority of connecting segment 393, such as the entire length ofconnecting segment 393, can be securely attached to inner surface 388.Furthermore, end segments 398 a-b can also be securely attached to innersurface 388 of nozzle 359. That way, only u-shaped segments 392 a-b canrotate around axes 396 a-b during compression, as discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 3P-3N.

B. Capacitive Eartip

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an eartip canbe configured as a sensor for detecting when the wireless listeningdevice is worn by a user. For instance, the eartip can be configured asa capacitive sensor that changes in capacitance when the eartip isinserted in an ear canal.

FIG. 4A is an exemplary eartip 400 configured as a capacitive sensor,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As a capacitivesensor, eartip 400 can include a first conductive structure 402 and asecond conductive structure 404 positioned within tip region 318 ofeartip 400 and separated by deflection zone 323. First conductivestructure 402 can be a metal plate bent into a inner eartip body-likeshape that can be positioned on an outer surface of inner eartip body316 in some embodiments, or a conductive inner eartip body 316 by dopinginner eartip body 316 with conductive material to convert inner eartipbody 316 into a conductive structure. Similarly, second conductivestructure 404 can be a metal plate bent and curved to conform to aninner surface of outer eartip body 322, or be a conductive outer eartipbody 322 by doping outer eartip body 322 with conductive material toconvert outer eartip body 322 into a conductive structure. With thisconstruction, the two conductive structures 402 and 404 and deflectionzone 323 can define a first capacitance when eartip 300 is not insertedinto an ear canal, but change in capacitance (e.g., increase incapacitance) when eartip 300 is inserted into an ear canal due to thedeflection of outer eartip body 322 toward inner eartip body 316 wheneartip 300 is inserted into the ear canal, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C.In some embodiments, each conductive structure 402 and 404 extendsaround the entire circumference of eartip 400. However, in some otherembodiments, each conductive structure 402 and 404 may extend aroundonly a portion of the entire circumference of eartip 400. In suchinstances, each conductive structure 402 and 404 can be configured as astrip of conductive plating that are positioned directly across from oneanother to form a capacitor.

FIGS. 4B and 4C are cross-sectional views of eartip 400 when it isinserted into an ear canal, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 4B, eartip 400 can bend and conform to theinner surfaces of ear canal 406 when eartip 400 is inserted into earcanal 406. Housing 202 may not bend or conform when the wirelesslistening device, e.g., in-ear hearing device, is worn by the user. Asshown in FIG. 4C, outer eartip body 322 may bend into deflection zone323 when the wireless listening device is worn, thereby causing someparts of first and second conductive structures 402 and 404 to bepositioned closer to one another. As such, the capacitance created byconductive structures 402 and 404 and the smaller separation distancebetween them may be different from, e.g., greater than, the capacitancewhen eartip 400 is not inserted into an ear canal, which is shown inFIG. 4A for instance. Thus, eartip 400 can be configured to have a firstcapacitance when it is not inserted into an ear canal, and a secondcapacitance when it is inserted into an ear canal. By modifying eartip400 to be a capacitive sensor, additional, bulkier sensors are notneeded in the housing, thereby helping the housing achieve a smallerform factor.

The wireless listening device can be configured to measure thedifference in capacitance and determine that the wireless listeningdevice has been worn by the user. This determination can be made whenthe capacitance of eartip 400 changes past a threshold value. By beingable to determine when the device is worn, the wireless listening devicecan enhance user experience by automatically initiating specific,targeted UI controls related to the wireless listening device when itdetects that it is worn, such as automatically providing play/pauseoptions for music, answering/ending phone calls, and the like.

C. Patterned Eartip

Instead of, or in addition to, configuring the eartip as a capacitivesensor, some embodiments can configuring the eartip as an opticalindicator that changes when the eartip is inserted into an ear canal.For instance, the eartip can include a pattern of lines and spaces on aninner surface of the outer eartip body that can be observed by anoptical sensor in the housing to determine if the wireless listeningdevice is worn by a user, as discussed further herein with respect toFIGS. 5A-5C. Specifically, FIG. 5A is a bottom-up view of an exemplaryeartip 500 configured with patterned lines 502 separated by spaces 504on an inner surface of its outer eartip body 506, FIG. 5B is a side-viewof an exemplary wireless listening device 501 with eartip 500 and ahousing 510 with an optical sensor 508 for observing the inner surfaceof outer eartip body 506, and FIG. 5C is a bottom-up view of eartip 500after deflection from being inserted into an ear canal, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the inner surface of outer eartip body 506 can havea series of patterned lines 502 separated by gaps 504. Lines 502 canextend along the entire circumference of outer eartip body 506 and thuscan have a substantially circular shape. The thickness of each line canbe the same as or different from other patterned lines, and the size ofeach gap can similarly be the same as or different from the size ofother gaps. The series of patterned lines 502 can be observed by anoptical sensor 508 that faces eartip 500. In some embodiments, opticalsensor 508 can detect changes in patterned lines 502 when eartip 500 isinserted into an ear canal. For instance, as shown in FIG. 5C, patternedlines 502 and gaps 504 can alter in shape due to outer eartip body 506deflecting and conforming to an inner surface of an ear canal. Incertain embodiments, optical sensor 508 can observe pattern lines 502and gaps 504 as a whole, or observe a portion 510 of patterned lines 502and gaps 504. Optical sensor 508 can, in some embodiments, observe onlya portion of the series of patterned lines 502 and gaps 504 in front ofoptical sensor 508. And, in some embodiments, more than one opticalsensor can be implemented to observe the entire patterned lines 502 andgaps 504 around the circumference of eartip 500. When more than oneoptical sensor is used, they can be positioned axially symmetricalaround the opening in housing to which eartip 500 is attached.

Wireless listening device 501 can determine that it is worn by a userwhen patterned lines 502 and gaps 504 deflect a threshold distance awayfrom its initial position when it is not inserted into an ear canal,e.g., as shown in FIG. 5A. Thus, eartip 500 can be configured to have afirst line pattern when it is not inserted into an ear canal, and asecond line pattern different from the first line pattern when it isinserted into an ear canal. Each line pattern can be substantiallycircular and extend around a circumference of eartip 500. By modifyingeartip 500 to have patterned lines 502 and gaps 504 and configuringhousing 510 to have an optical sensor for observing patterned lines 502and gaps 504, eartip 500 may not have conductive structures, therebymaking it simpler to manufacture and having less avenues for failure.

Being able to determine when the device is worn by measuring adeflection of patterned lines and gaps, the wireless listening devicecan, enhance user experience by automatically initiating specific,targeted UI controls related to the wireless listening device when itdetects that it is worn, such as automatically providing play/pauseoptions for music, answering/ending phone calls, and the like.Additionally, the wireless listening device can be configured to detectunique deflection patterns and associate those unique deflectionpatterns with individual users. By doing this, the wireless listeningdevice can automatically set its operational settings to reflectspecific predefined preferences of that user. Furthermore, being able todetect unique patterns can allow the wireless listening device to beable to identify which eartip type is attached to the housing. Forinstance, different sizes of eartips can have different, unique patternsof lines and gaps. The housing can be configured to observe the uniquepatterns of lines and gaps when the eartips are not inserted into an earcanal and automatically determine which eartip is attached to thehousing by matching the observed patterns of lines and gaps with a listof known patterns of lines and gaps for the different types of eartips.In some embodiments, instead of observing the individual line and gappatterns, optical sensor 508 can measure the observed color of the innersurface of eartip 500 as a whole. That way, a less expensive opticalsensor can still be used to detect the identity of eartip 500.

D. Control Leak for Eartip

As can be appreciated herein, the outer eartip body of an eartipaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure can pressagainst an inner surface of an ear canal to form an acoustic seal. Thisacoustic seal can enhance the quality of sound experience by the user,but it can also sometimes trap pressure in the ear canal, potentiallycausing an unpleasant sensation to the user. Thus, in some embodiments,the eartip can include a control leak for preventing the trapping ofpressure in the ear canal while still enabling the outer eartip body toform an acoustic seal.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an exemplary wireless listening device600 having a control leak 602 in eartip 604, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. Control leak 602 can bepositioned in an inner eartip body of eartip 604. In some embodiments,control leak 602 is an opening that provides an avenue through whichpressure built up in the ear canal can be released to atmosphere,thereby relieving the ear canal of any trapped pressure and preventingthe user from experiencing any unpleasant sensation from trappedpressure. Control leak 602 can be a circular hole or be configured withany other shape, such as an ovular, oblong, rectangular, square-like,triangular, octagonal, and the like without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6A, control leaks positioned in eartip 604 can belocated closer to the ear drum than control leaks implemented in housing606. Locating control leak 602 close to the ear drum can improve theeffectiveness of control leak 602 by virtue of their close proximity tothe ear drum alone. Furthermore, implementing control leaks in theeartip avoids the formation of an additional opening in the outerstructure of housing 606, thereby resulting in a housing that has fewerdebris ingress points for better product reliability. Moreover,implementing control leaks in the inner eartip body of eartip 604mitigates the chances of the control leaks from being blocked by thephysical contours and protrusions of a user's ear because the outereartip body can shield them from those surfaces. Additionally, movingthe control leak into eartip 604 allows the control leak to be easilyaccessed by the user by merely removing eartip 604 from housing 606.Thus, the control leak can be regularly cleaned and easily replaced.

Control leaks of different shapes and sizes can have more or lessresistance to occlusion. For instance, elongated control leaks that arein the shape of ovals, rectangles, or oblong openings can be moreresistant to occlusion from debris than control leaks that are in theshape of circles or squares because elongated control leaks have greateropening areas than non-elongated control leaks. In some embodiments,eartip 604 includes a single control leak 602, while other embodimentscan have more than one control leak, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C.

FIGS. 6B and 6C are cross-sectional view illustrations of differenteartips with different control leak configurations. As shown in FIG. 6B,eartip 601 can have a control leak configuration that includes at leasttwo control leaks: a first control leak 608 a and a second control leak608 b. First and second control leaks 608 a and 608 b can be positionedin the same plane but in opposite hemispheres of the inner eartip bodyso that pressure can be released from the ear canal through pressurerelease pathways 609 a and 609 b through opening 612. Having a largernumber of control leaks decreases the chances of complete occlusionbecause having more control leaks means greater redundancy, where evenif one control leak is occluded, the other control leaks may not beoccluded and still enable trapped pressure to be released. In certainembodiments, both control leaks 608 a and 608 b can be configured tohave the same size and shape. However, in some embodiments, controlleaks 608 a and 608 b can be configured to have different sizes andshapes, as shown in FIG. 6C. That is, eartip 603 in FIG. 6C can have afirst control leak 610 a that is elongated and a second control leak 610b that is not elongated, or a first control leak 610 that is the sameshape as second control leak 610 b but just larger in size. It is to beappreciated that any number, shape, and size of control leak(s)implemented in the inner eartip body of an eartip are envisioned herein,without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Although FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate control leaks being formed by the innereartip body of an eartip, embodiments are not limited to suchembodiments. Rather, one or more control leaks can be formed in theattachment structure of an eartip, as further discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 6D-6E.

FIGS. 6D-6E are cross-sectional views of an exemplary eartip 612 havingcontrol leaks 614 a-b formed in its attachment mechanism, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 6D is across-sectional view across a vertical cutting plane of eartip 612, andFIG. 6E is a cross-sectional view across a horizontal cutting plane ofeartip 612. Eartip 612 is shown to be configured as eartip 352 in FIG.3E. Thus, similar features discussed herein with respect to eartip 352apply to eartip 612 and are not discussed here for brevity.

Like control leaks 602, 608 a-b, and 610 a-b in FIGS. 6A-6C, eachcontrol leak 614 a-b is an opening that opens sound channel 632 to theatmosphere. Thus, control leaks 614 a-b provide avenues through whichpressure built up in the ear canal/sound channel 632 can passivelyrelease into the atmosphere, thereby relieving the ear canal of anytrapped pressure and preventing the user from experiencing anyunpleasant sensation from trapped pressure. Each control leak 614 a-bcan extend from an inner surface 620 to an outer surface 622 of asidewall of attachment structure 618. The sidewall of attachmentstructure 618 can extend around a periphery of attachment structure 618.Regions of outer surface 622 proximate to control leaks 614 a-b canprotrude outward to form respective lips 624 a-b so that those regionsof outer surface 622 are coplanar/flush with an outer surface 626 ofinner eartip body 628 of eartip 612. Lips 624 a-b can provide structuralrigidity and integrity for control leaks 614 a-b. In some embodiments,control leak 614 a-b can be an oblong hole or be configured with anyother shape, such as an circular, ovular, rectangular, square-like,triangular, octagonal, and the like without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. In particular embodiments, controlleaks 614 a-b are oblong openings that are arranged horizontally, e.g.,arranged so that their long axis extends along a perimeter of attachmentstructure 618 around center line 630.

As shown in FIG. 6E, eartip 312 can include two control leaks 614 a-band two recesses 632 a-b. Control leaks 614 a-b can be positioned onopposite sides of attachment structure 618 along a first axis 634, whilethe recesses 632 a-b are positioned on opposite sides of attachmentstructure 618 along a second axis 636. In some instances where eartip312 has an ovular cross-sectional shape, as shown in FIG. 6E, first axis634 can be the long axis of the ovular eartip while second axis 636 canbe the short axis of the ovular eartip. Positioning recesses 632 a-b onthe long axis of the eartip allows end caps for a wireform attachmentmechanism to make greater surface area contact with eartip 312 so that amore secure attachment can be achieved as well as a louder snappingsound can be emitted when the end caps snap into recesses 632 a-b. WhileFIG. 6E illustrates two control leaks 614 a-b and two recesses 632 a-bpositioned along axes that are perpendicular to one another, it is to beappreciated that any number of control leaks and recesses can bepositioned along any location around attachment structure 618 withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, cavity regions 638 a-b can be formed aroundrespective control leaks 614 a-b. Cavity regions 638 a-b can be shallowcavities formed by inner surface 620 of attachment structure 618 tomitigate the chances of occlusion of control leaks 614 a-b from insideeartip 612. For instance, if an object presses against inner surface 620of eartip 612, cavity regions 638 a-b can still provide an openingthrough which pressure can be released from sound channel 632.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 6D and 6E, meshes 616 a-b can bepositioned within respective control leaks 614 a-b to prevent ingress ofdebris. Meshes 616 a-b can be an interlaced structure formed of anetwork of wire that allows air to pass through but resists debris frompassing through. In some embodiments, meshes 616 a-b are each attachedto inner surface 620 of attachment structure 618, or extend intoattachment structure 618, so that meshes 616 a-b can be securely fixedwithin eartip 612.

As can be appreciated herein, when eartip 612 is inserted into the earcanal, outer eartip body 640 can bend and deform when it presses againstthe ear canal. The bending and deforming of outer eartip body 640 canpotentially cause it to occlude one or more control leaks 614 a-b. Thus,to mitigate such occlusion, outer eartip body 640 can be modified tomaintain an air pathway for control leaks 614 a-b even when outer eartipbody 640 bends and deforms when eartip 612 is inserted into an earcanal, as will be discussed further herein with respect to FIGS. 6F-H.

FIGS. 6F-6H are perspective view illustrations of exemplary eartipshaving different modifications for mitigating the occlusion of a controlleak when the outer eartip body is bent and deformed when inserted intoan ear canal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.As shown in FIG. 6F, eartip 650 can have an outer eartip body 652 thatis modified to include a slit 654 at an end of outer eartip body 652closest to the attachment end of eartip 650. Slit 654 can extend all theway through to the end of outer eartip body 652 and can be positionedover control leak 656 so that when outer eartip body 652 is bent andpresses against attachment structure 658, slit 654 can provide anopening through which air can pass to enable the functionality ofcontrol leak 656 as discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 6A-6E. As canbe appreciated herein, many other types of modification to enable anopening through which air can pass for the control leak are envisionedherein.

As an example shown in FIG. 6G, eartip 660 can have an outer eartip body662 that is modified to include a hole 664 positioned near theattachment end of eartip 660 and positioned over control leak 666.Although hole 664 is shown as a circular hole, any other shape can beused to form hole 664, such as an ovular, oblong, rectangular, square,triangular, and the like.

As another example shown in FIG. 6H, eartip 670 can have an outer eartipbody 672 that is modified to include one or more bumps 674 a-bpositioned at an end of outer eartip body 672 closest to the attachmentend of eartip 670 and positioned over control leak 676. Bumps 674 a-bcan be protrusions that extend from an inner surface of outer eartipbody 672 toward control leak 676. That way, when outer eartip body 672is bent and presses against attachment structure 678, bumps 674 a-b canprevent sealing flange 672 from completely sealing control leak 676 sothat an opening through which air can pass to enable the functionalityof control leak 656 as discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 6A-6E canbe maintained.

III. Housing

As can be understood by the disclosures herein, a wireless listeningdevice also includes a housing to which the eartip couples. The housingcan be an electronic device that can be configured to communicate with ahost device, such as a smart phone, tablet, laptop, and the like. As anexample, a housing can receive digitized sound data/commands foroutputting sound to a user. Furthermore, the housing can also senddigitized sound data received from a microphone, and/or send commandsfrom a user input to the host device. Thus, the housing can include oneor more processors, memory, communication systems, sensor systems, userinterface systems, power sources, and power receiving circuitry, asdiscussed herein with respect to FIG. 1A. As will be appreciated herein,various additional features and configurations of the housing can beimplemented to enhance the user experience of the wireless listeningdevice. For instance, one or more sound ports, control leaks, andmicrophones can be implemented in the housing to improve output soundquality, comfort, and user interface methods of the wireless listeningdevice, as will be discussed further herein.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary wireless listeningdevice 700 showing further details of a housing 702, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, housing 702 can includea plurality of internal components and an outer structure 704 formed ofa rigid material, e.g., plastic, that defines an internal cavity withinwhich internal components can be housed and protected from theenvironment and physical damage during drop events. Outer structure 704can also include an acoustic opening 719 through which sound can exitouter structure 704 into sound channel 717 of eartip 703. The internalcomponents can include a battery 706, interconnection structure 708,electronic devices 710, and a driver 715. Battery 706 can be anysuitable energy storage device that can store and discharge storedenergy, such as a lithium ion battery, and the like. Battery 706 can beelectrically coupled to electronic devices 710 and driver 715 throughinterconnection structure 708 so that when discharging, the dischargedenergy can be used to power electronic devices 710 and driver 715.Interconnection structure 708 can be any suitable component that canroute signals and power between electronic devices, such as a printedcircuit board (PCB) or a flexible PCB. Electronic devices 710 can be anysuitable semiconductor devices for operating wireless listening device700, such as microcontrollers, processors, field programmable gatearrays (FPGA), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), dynamicrandom-access memory (DRAM) and the like. Electronic devices 710 can beconfigured to interact with one another and various other internalcomponents to perform various functions that improve the user experienceas well as the sound quality of wireless listening device 700, as willbe discussed in detail further herein. Driver 715 can be an electricaldevice that generates sound waves, such as a speaker and/or a subwoofer.Driver 715 can be coupled to, and operated by, the one or moreelectronic devices 710. When wireless listening device 700 is worn by auser, wireless listening device 700 can provide sound to an ear canalthrough eartip 703, which is better shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view 800 of wireless listening device 700when it is worn by a user to show the positioning of wireless listeningdevice 700 with respect to an ear canal 804 and the auricle of ear 801,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Wirelesslistening device 700 is shown as an in-ear hearing device. When wirelesslistening device 700 is worn, outer eartip body 705 of eartip 703 canpress into the inner surfaces of ear canal 804 to form an acoustic sealso that sounds outputted by wireless listening device 700 can be heardby the user in a sealed environment, which improves sound quality ofwireless listening device 700.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wirelesslistening device 700 can also include one or more sound ports, controlleaks, and microphones for improving the functionality and usability ofwireless listening device 700 while still enabling wireless listeningdevice 700 to achieve a small form factor.

A. Control Leak and Sound Port

For example, as further shown in FIG. 7, outer structure 704 of housing702 can include, in some embodiments, a tuned bass port 711 and a tunedcontrol leak 713. Tuned bass port 711 and tuned control leak 713 can beopenings that are specifically designed and positioned within outerstructure 704 to enable wireless listening device 700 to achieve certainfunctionalities. For instance, tuned bass port 711 can be an openingpositioned beside acoustic opening 719 and coupled to an acousticpathway 723 via port pathway 724 from driver 715 and allows air to floweasier within the acoustic pathway for low frequency sounds, e.g., basssound waves that are lower than 20 Hz. For low frequency sounds, adriver may move a large volume of air as it generates sound waves. Whenit is easier for a driver to move air, the driver can achieve bettersound quality. Thus, tuned bass port 711 can provide an opening for theair to easily move out to, and be drawn in from, the atmosphere, therebyallowing wireless listening device 700 to provide higher quality bassnotes. Tuned bass port 711 can be configured to achieve a certain rateof airflow when driver 715 is operating. This rate of air flow can bealtered by the shape and size of tuned bass port 711, which can be tunedin various ways according to design.

Similar to tuned bass port 711, tuned control leak 713 can be an openingwithin outer structure 704 for allowing air to flow out of housing 702.However, the result achieved by releasing the air out of housing 702 maybe different from the result achieved by tuned bass port 711. Forinstance, instead of improving bass sound quality, tuned control leak713 can be configured to relieve pressure trapped the ear canal when aseal is formed between outer eartip body 705 and ear canal 804, such aswhen wireless listening device 700 is worn by a user. In someembodiments, pressure from the ear canal can flow through a pressurerelease pathway 726 that flows from opening 717 into outer structure 704and then out into the atmosphere through tuned control leak 713. Thus,tuned control leak 713 may be similar in function to control leak 602 ineartip 604 discussed herein with respect to FIG. 6A. By relievingtrapped pressure in ear canal 804, wireless listening device 700 may becomfortable to wear. In some embodiments, tuned control leak 713 extendsfrom an acoustic pathway from opening 717 of inner eartip body 707 sothat pressure trapped in the ear canal can be vented to the atmosphere.Like tuned bass port 711, tuned control leak 713 can be configured toachieve a certain rate of airflow when pressure is built up in the earcanal. This rate of air flow can be altered by the shape and size oftuned control leak 713, which can be tuned in various ways according todesign. For instance, tuned control leak 713 can be an opening that issubstantially circular in profile, or any other shape and size, such asovular, oblong, rectangular, hexagonal, and the like without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

It is to be appreciated that the specific positions of tuned bass port711 and tuned control leak 713 may be specifically chosen to minimizeocclusion and acoustic coupling with other internal components, as willbe discussed further herein with respect to section III, subsection Cbelow.

B. Externally and Internally Facing Microphones

With continued reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the plurality of internalcomponents in housing 702 can further include one or more externallyfacing microphones 712 and 714 and one or more internally facingmicrophones 716. Externally facing microphones 712 and 714 can beconfigured to receive sounds from the environment outside of housing 702that are propagating toward the user from regions outside of the user'sear canal while internally facing microphone 716 can be configured toreceive sounds from the environment outside of housing 702 that arepropagating away from the user from regions in or around the user's earcanal.

Positioning externally facing microphones 712 and 714 and internallyfacing microphone 716 on opposite sides of housing 702 allows eachmicrophone to receive sound from two different environments forachieving different functionalities. For instance, by receiving soundsfrom outside of the ear canal with externally facing microphones 712 and714, wireless listening device 700 can operate in transparency modewhere sounds received from outside of the ear canal can be reproducedwith or without augmentation by wireless listening device 700 so thatthe user can hear sounds from the outside environment. This enables theuser to still hear sounds from his environment, such as spoken wordsfrom a person with which the user is conversing, even though the user'sear canal may be sealed by outer eartip body 705 of eartip 703.Furthermore, receiving sounds outside of the ear canal also enableswireless listening device 700 to perform active noise reduction toselectively minimize distracting noise from the environment. That is,wireless listening device 700 can output sound that specifically negatesthe sound received from externally facing microphones 712 and/or 714 ofthe external environment.

By receiving sounds 904 from inside of the ear canal with internallyfacing microphone 716, wireless listening device 700 can measure soundswithin ear canal 804 to determine if sound is leaking across outereartip body 705. A complete in-ear seal between outer eartip body 705and ear canal 804 creates a much better acoustic performance forproducts designed based on an assumption of that seal. In such products,loss of a complete seal can reduce the volume of low frequency soundsexperienced by the user and can increase the amount of ambient noise.The loss of complete seal can sometimes be attributed to a mismatchbetween the user's ear anatomy and the size of the eartip used. Thus, bybeing able to determine if an improper seal is made between outer eartipbody 705 and ear canal 804, wireless listening device 700 can beconfigured to send the user an alert indicating such and possiblyinstruct the user to make certain adjustments to the fit of the wirelesslistening device 700.

In some embodiments, an externally facing speaker 723 can also beimplemented within outer structure 704 of housing 702. Externally facingspeaker 723 can be an electronic device that generates sound. Externallyfacing speaker 723 can be positioned beside externally facingmicrophones 712 and 714 so that externally facing speaker 723 can outputsound into an environment outside of the wireless listening devicethrough opening 725 in outer structure 704. The sound can be outputtedaway from the ear canal of the user so that people beside the user canhear the sounds generated by externally facing speaker 723. The soundscan be music or a conversation that the user intends to share withsomeone beside him or her.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional illustrations of wireless listeningdevice 700 configured to detect an improper seal with an ear canal whenit is worn by a user, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Specifically, FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view illustration900 of wireless listening device 700 when a leakage is not present, andFIG. 9B is a cross-sectional illustration 901 of wireless listeningdevice 700 when a leakage is present.

As shown in FIG. 9A, wireless listening device 700 can be an in-earhearing device that is configured to use internally facing microphone716 to detect a loss of a complete seal. For instance, wirelesslistening device 700 can generate a test sound 902 into ear canal 804,and internally facing microphone 716 can be activated to receive soundfrom outside of the seal with ear canal 804. When no leakage is presentand a complete seal is made with ear canal 804, internally facingmicrophone 716 may not detect test sound 902. However, as shown in FIG.9B, when leakage is present and an improper, leaky seal is made with earcanal 804, internally facing microphone 716 may detect test sound 902 toa certain degree and determine whether the detected sound is caused by aleak in the seal. For instance, wireless listening device 700 can beconfigured to measure the decibel level of sound resonating within earcanal 804 induced by a control sound tone or pulse, and compare thatmeasured decibel level to an expected decibel level. If the measureddecibel level is greater than the expected decibel level, then wirelesslistening device 700 can determine that an improper seal exists and analert can be sent to the user to correct the positioning of listeningdevice 700. Having a proper seal can improve attenuation of outsidenoise, enabling the operation of active noise cancellation to use lesspower. Furthermore, having a proper seal can imply that the eartip has asolid contact with the ear canal, which can result in improved in-earstability.

As can be appreciated herein, being in such close proximity to a user'sear often invites the opportunity for occlusions of one or more ports,control leaks, and/or microphones. Occluded bass ports often exhibit anoverall decrease in bass/low frequency response; and occluded controlledleaks often exhibit an abnormal increase in bass/low frequency responseand a reduction in measurable ambient noise inside the ear canal. Thus,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, internallyfacing microphone 716 can also enable wireless listening device 700 toperform acoustic self-testing to determine the presence of occludedports, control leaks, and/or external microphones, and to inform theuser of improper fit or how to change the positioning/use of wirelesslistening device 700 when occlusion is detected to ensure the bestpossible acoustic performance.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary side-view illustration 1000 of wirelesslistening device 1001 worn by a user where one or more ports, controlleaks, and/or microphones are occluded. When worn, eartip 1006 can bepositioned inside of the ear canal and housing 1008 can be positionedwithin cavity 1002 defined by the auricle of the user's ear 1004. Insome cases, wireless listening device 1001 can be improperly positionedin ear 1004 where the contours of ear 1004 occlude, i.e., cover up, oneor more ports, control leaks, and/or microphones, e.g., externallyfacing microphone 1012, as shown in FIG. 10. Externally facingmicrophone 1012 may not be able to properly function when it is occludedby ear 1004. Thus, wireless listening device 1001 can be configured todetermine that externally facing microphone 1012 is occluded and alertthe user and/or instruct the user to move wireless listening device 1001to the correct position where microphone 1012 is not occluded.

In some embodiments, wireless listening device 1001 can determine thatone or more ports, control leaks, and/or microphones are occluded bycomparing the current operation of the ports, control leaks, and/ormicrophones with their expected operation. As an example, wirelesslistening device 1001 can be configured to define an expected operationof externally facing microphone 1012 by measuring the operation ofexternally facing microphone 1012 when it is stored in an case. Wirelesslistening device 1001 can emit a sound in the case and measure thereceived sound by externally facing microphone 1012. In someembodiments, the case can be configured with one or more cavities thatensure externally facing microphone 1012 is un-occluded and provide acontrolled and sealed environment with which wireless listening device1001 can perform its measurement of the operation of externally facingmicrophone 1012. The measured operation of externally facing microphone1012 can be stored in the memory of wireless listening device 1001 orthe host device, e.g., a smart phone to which wireless listening device1001 is wirelessly coupled.

Thus, when wireless listening device 1001 is worn by a user, wirelesslistening device 1001 can measure the operation of externally facingmicrophone 1012 and compare the measured operation of externally facingmicrophone 1012 with the expected operation of externally facingmicrophone 1012. If the measured operation is different from theexpected operation by greater than a threshold amount, wirelesslistening device 1001 and/or the host device can determine thatexternally facing microphone 1012 is occluded and send the necessaryalerts/instructions to the user to correct the positon of wirelesslistening device 1001. If, however, the measured operation is onlydifferent from the expected operation by less than the threshold amount,then wireless listening device 1001 and/or the host device can use thatinformation as another factor in determining that wireless listeningdevice 1001 is worn by the user in conjunction with other factors, suchas capacitive sensing or patterned lines in the eartip, as discussedherein with respect to FIGS. 4A-4C and 5A-5C. The same process can beperformed for each port, control leak, and microphone for enablingwireless listening device 1001 to determine occlusions. By being able todetermine occlusions of one or more ports, control leaks, and/ormicrophones, wireless listening device 1001 can better ensure that thefull potential of the sound quality and usability of wireless listeningdevice 1001 is experienced by the user.

C. Positioning of Microphones, Ports, and Control Leaks

With reference back to FIGS. 7 and 8, the positioning of themicrophones, ports, and control leaks are important because they areeach designed to receive sound from, and/or output sound to, specificregions around the ear and the ear canal. According to some embodimentsof the present disclosure, externally facing microphones 712 and 714 canbe positioned in housing 702 so that when wireless listening device 700configured as an in-ear hearing device is worn, externally facingmicrophones 712 and 714 face away from the ear canal and internallyfacing microphone 716 faces toward the ear canal, an example of which isshown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 shows the positioning of externally and internally facingmicrophones 712, 714, and 716, tuned bass port 711, and tuned controlleak 713 of wireless listening device 700, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure. As shown, externally facing microphones 712and 714 are positioned inside of ear cavity 802 and face away from earcanal 804, while internally facing microphone 716 is positioned insideof ear cavity 802 and face toward ear canal 804. Ear cavity 802 can be acavity defined by the auricle of ear 801, and can abut ear canal 804.

In some embodiments, externally facing microphones 712 and 714 andinternally facing microphone 716 are positioned on opposing halves ofhousing 702 when divided in half by dividing line 806. Dividing line 806can be a line that divides housing 702 in two halves, where one half ispositioned closer to ear canal 804 than the other half. In someembodiments, with reference back to FIG. 7, dividing line 806 can beperpendicular to axis 709 of acoustic opening 719 and inner eartip body707. And, dividing line 806 can be positioned so that housing 702 isdivided into two halves. Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, dividing line 806 canbe diagonally oriented when housing 702 is laid on its side, whereexternally facing microphones 712 and 714 are positioned on one half ofhousing 702 and internally facing microphone 716 is positioned on theother half of housing 702. In some embodiments, internally facingmicrophone 716 and eartip 703 are positioned in the same half of housing702 when halved by dividing line 806.

As can be appreciated from disclosures herein, tuned bass port 711 andtuned control leak 713 are openings through which channels withinhousing 702 are coupled to the atmosphere. Thus, in order for tuned bassport 711 and tuned control leak 713 to operate properly, port 711 andcontrol leak 713 should be free of occlusion. Thus, tuned bass port 711and tuned control leak 713 can be positioned at locations that are leastlikely to be occluded by surface features of the user's ear. As anexample, as shown in FIG. 7, tuned bass port 711 and tuned control leak713 can be positioned in outer structure 704 at areas that are directlybelow the umbrella covering of outer eartip body 705. That way, outereartip body 705 can provide clearance for space around tuned bass port711 and tuned control leak 713.

When placed close to externally facing microphones 712 and 714, tunedbass port 711 and tuned control leak 713 can cause echo and feedbackdistortion. Thus, in some embodiments, tuned bass port 711 and tunedcontrol leak 713 can be positioned away from externally facingmicrophones 712 and 714. For instance, where dividing line 806 divideshousing 702 in half and externally facing microphones 712 and 714 arepositioned on one half of housing 702, tuned bass port 711 and tunedcontrol leak 713 can be positioned on the other half of housing 702 nextto eartip 703.

D. Acoustic Shielding Component of Microphones

To enable microphones 712, 714, and 716 to accurately measure sound,microphones 712, 714, and 716 can be positioned adjacent to outerstructure 704, and outer structure 704 can include openings 718, 720,and 722 for providing an avenue through which sound can travel fromoutside of outer structure 704 to microphones 712, 714, and 716,respectively. The open cavities defined by openings 718, 720, and 722form step differentials between an outer surface of housing 704 and theoutermost surface of respective microphones 712, 714, and 716. When airblows across each of these step differentials (such as when the wirelesslistening device is being used outside, wind noise can be generated andcause audible interference. Thus, each opening can include an acousticshielding component that is configured to be flush with the outersurface of housing 704 to remove the aforementioned step differentialand mitigate wind noise, as discussed herein with respect to FIGS.11A-11B.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional view illustrations of exemplarylistening device configurations across the cut-line shown in side image1103 that have different acoustic shielding components for microphonesin a housing, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Specifically, FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view illustration of a firstconfiguration 1100 including acoustic shielding component 1102 forprotecting microphone 1104 of a housing 1106, and FIG. 11B is across-sectional view illustration of a second configuration 1101including a multi-layer mesh 1122 for protecting microphone 1124 of ahousing 1126.

As shown in FIG. 11A, acoustic shielding component 1102 can be formed ofa porous plastic material constructed of a solid matrix defining aplurality of pores that allows the microphone to be exposed to theatmosphere but resists liquid and debris from entering housing 1106.According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, acousticshielding component 1102 can be a three-dimensional porous structurethat extends at least partially between externally facing microphone1104 and an outer surface 1108 of housing 1106. In some instances,acoustic shielding component 1102 can completely fill in opening 1110 sothat acoustic shielding component 1102 extends from an inner surface1112 of housing 1106 to outer surface 1108 of housing 1106. Externalsurface 1114 of acoustic shielding component 1102 can face outside ofhousing 1106 and be substantially planar with the immediately adjacentregions of external surface 1108 of housing 1106. In some embodiments,external surface 1114 of acoustic shielding component 1102 is curved toseamlessly integrate with the curvature/profile of outer surface 1108 ofhousing 1106. The substantial planarity and seamless integration betweenexternal surface 1114 and outer surface 1108 can avoid any structuralstep formations and recesses at their interface, thereby substantiallymitigating the formation of acoustic turbulence as air 1116 movesquickly past opening 1110 while still enabling external noise to filterthrough to microphone 1104. Mitigating acoustic turbulence increasesmicrophone performance in outdoor environments.

It is to be appreciated that, using acoustic shielding component toprotect microphones in a housing can achieve additional benefits. Forinstance, acoustic shielding component can improve the congruency ofhousing aesthetics by blending in with the appearance of housing 1106,especially when acoustic shielding component is formed of similarmaterial used to form outer housing 1106. Furthermore, using porousplastic can achieve better protection from liquid and debris ingressbecause of its array of small openings in a three-dimensional structure.

Alternative to the porous plastic embodiment shown in FIG. 11A, anacoustic shielding component can be configured as a multi-layer meshstructure in some embodiments for mitigating wind noise and improvingsound capture, as shown in FIG. 11B. An acoustic shielding component1122 can be constructed as a multi-layer mesh structure that extends atleast partially between externally facing microphone 1104 and an outersurface 1128 of housing 1126. For instance, like acoustic shieldingcomponent 1102 in FIG. 11A, an external surface 1130 of acousticshielding component 1122 can face outside of housing 1126 and besubstantially planar with the immediately adjacent regions of externalsurface 1128 of housing 1126. External surface 1130 of acousticshielding component 1112 can be curved to seamlessly integrate with(i.e., be flush with) the curvature/profile of outer surface 1128 ofhousing 1126 so that structural step formations and recesses at theirinterface can be avoided, thereby substantially mitigating thegeneration of acoustic turbulence as air 1132 moves quickly past opening1134 while still enabling external noise to filter through to microphone1124.

Unlike acoustic shielding component 1102 in FIG. 11A, however, acousticshielding component 1122 can be formed of more than one distinct layers.For instance, acoustic shielding component 1122 can include a cosmeticmesh and an acoustic mesh, as will be discussed in detail further hereinwith respect to FIG. 12. In some instances, the multi-layer meshstructure of acoustic shielding component 1122 is relatively thincompared to the depth of opening 1134. Thus, because external surface1130 of acoustic shielding component 1122 is positioned planar withexternal surface 1128 of housing 1126, a cavity 1136 within opening 1134and below external surface 1130 of acoustic shielding component 1122 canbe defined by the structure of acoustic shielding component 1122. Therelatively large surface area of external surface 1130 of acousticshielding component 1122 along with its thin construction and positionrelative to cavity 1136, acoustic shielding component 1122 may beparticularly vulnerable to deformation during drop events. Thus, toresist such deformation, a support post 1138 can be abutted against aninner surface 1140 of acoustic shielding component 1122 opposite fromexternal surface 1130. Support post 1138 can be an extension of housing1126 that extends toward, and in some instances makes contact with,acoustic shielding component 1122. Support post 1138 can be positionedso that it makes contact with a central region of acoustic shieldingcomponent 1122. In addition to support post 1138, a stiffener can beimplemented to provide structural rigidity to acoustic shieldingcomponent 1122, and a grounding tab 1142 can couple acoustic shieldingcomponent 1122 to ground, as will be discussed further herein withrespect to FIG. 12.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of an exemplary acoustic shielding component1200 constructed as a multi-layer mesh, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Acoustic shielding component 1200 can include anacoustic mesh 1202 positioned between a cosmetic mesh 1204 and astiffener 1206. Acoustic mesh 1202 can be constructed as a single layerwith contours that conform to a topography of an external surface of ahousing. In some instances, acoustic mesh 1202 can be a porous layerthat is tuned to a specific acoustic impedance to enable properoperation of an underlying microphone. In some embodiments, acousticmesh 1202 is formed of a pliable, porous material, such as a porouspolyester. Acoustic mesh 1202 can be covered with a hydrophobic coatingthat enables acoustic mesh 1202 to resist ingress of water into thehousing of the wireless listening device.

Cosmetic mesh 1204 can be an interlaced structure formed of a network ofstiff wire for providing a visible mesh texture to acoustic shieldingcomponent 1200 when the wireless listening device is viewed from theoutside. A mesh cover 1208 of cosmetic mesh 1204 may be positionedexternal to the housing of the wireless listening device. Thus, an outersurface of mesh cover 1208 can form an external surface of acousticshielding component 1200, such as external surface 1130 of acousticshielding component 1101 in FIG. 11B. Accordingly, mesh cover 1208 canbe constructed as a single layer with contours that conform to atopography of an external surface of a housing. The porosity of cosmeticmesh 1204 may lend itself to have negligible acoustic impact on thesounds passing through porous shield 1200, while having a degree ofaesthetic appeal so that its design complements the appearance of thewireless listening device. In some embodiments, cosmetic mesh 1204 isformed of a stainless steel mesh. Acoustic mesh 1202 can be adhered tocosmetic mesh 1204 via any suitable adhesive, such as pressure sensitiveadhesive (PSA).

In some embodiments, an outer periphery of an inner surface of meshcover 1208 can extend upward to form a mesh wall 1210, which can makecontact with the housing to improve stability when installed in thehousing. Mesh wall 1210 can be substantially perpendicular to mesh cover1208. In certain embodiments, mesh wall 1210 can define a tab 1212 thatextends from a portion of mesh wall 1210. Tab 1212 can extend away frommesh cover 1208 so that when installed, tab 1212 can couple to aninternal grounding feature, such as a grounding plane for an antenna.This may be better shown with brief reference to FIG. 11B, where tab1142 of acoustic shielding component 1122 extends away from externalsurface 1130 and past microphone 1124 to couple to an internal groundingcomponent. By grounding cosmetic mesh 1204, damage to the device fromelectric static discharge can be avoided. In some embodiments, meshcover 1208, mesh wall 1210, and tab 1212 can together be a monolithicstructure that forms cosmetic mesh 1204.

Stiffener 1206 can be a solid, instead of porous, structure that hashigh rigidity for providing structural integrity to acoustic shieldingcomponent 1200 to resist deformation during drop events. Stiffener 1206can include a plurality of ribs 1214 positioned between stiffener walls1216 a and 1216 b. Ribs 1214 can follow a contour of cosmetic mesh 1204;thus, ribs 1214 can also include contours that conform to the topographyof the external surface of the housing. Ribs 1214 can be evenly spacedapart from one another and be distributed across a length of acousticshielding component 1200 to provide structural rigidity across thelength of acoustic shielding component 1200. In some embodiments, adistance between ribs 1214 near the center of stiffener 1206 can begreater than the distances between other pairs of ribs so that a gap1220 can be formed to allow space for a support post, e.g., support post1138 in FIG. 11B, to be positioned to provide additional support toacoustic shielding component 1200. Although gap 1220 is shown to beformed by stiffener 1206, other stiffeners may not have a gap and caninstead have ribs in position of gap 1220 in the equally-spaced apartconfiguration. Stiffener 1206 can be formed of any suitable stiffmaterial, such as stainless steel, and can be attached to cosmetic mesh1204 via a plurality of laser welding points 1218 on stiffener walls1216 a-b. Stiffener walls 1216 a-b can be portions of stiffener 1206that bend upward for increasing surface area contact with cosmetic mesh1204 housing to improve mechanical coupling with cosmetic mesh 1204.When attached, stiffener 1206 can be surrounded by mesh wall 1210.

E. Positioning of Battery and Driver for Defining Acoustic Path

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery anddriver for a wireless listening device can be specifically positioned todecrease the size of its housing. FIG. 13 is a side-view illustration ofa wireless listening device 1300 whose battery 1302 and driver 1304 areuniquely positioned to decrease the size of housing 1306, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. When wireless listeningdevice 1300 is worn by a user, eartip 1310 can be inserted into the earcanal. This allows housing 1306 to extend farther into the opening ofthe ear, and thus opens up more space for housing 1306 to occupy in theear concha. To take advantage of this enlarged space, larger componentscan be positioned next to eartip 1310. As an example, battery 1302 canbe positioned adjacent to eartip 1310 such that its longest dimension,e.g., its width, is oriented along axis 1311 of eartip 1310.

Furthermore, other larger internal devices can be positioned close tobattery 1302 so that larger components can be concentrated in one regionof housing 1306 to maximize the larger space immediately outside of theear canal. For instance, driver 1304 can be positioned immediatelybeside battery 1302 and oriented so that its longest dimension, e.g.,its width can take full advantage of the extra space provided by the earconcha, as shown in FIG. 13. When oriented in this way, an acoustic path1316 of driver 1304 can be initially directed toward a flat, sidesurface of battery 1302, but then be redirected by the side surfacetoward opening 1312 of housing 1306 and ultimately out of opening 1312and into the ear canal through eartip 1310. Thus, even though battery1302 is positioned adjacent to opening 1312, battery 1302 can bepositioned so that an acoustic pathway can still be provided intoopening 1312 beside battery 1302.

By arranging battery 1302 in the largest open area of the ear (e.g., theconcha), the size of battery 1302, and thus the product battery life ofwireless listening device 1300, can be maximized. Furthermore, byarranging battery 1302 and driver 1304 in this configuration, an antenna1314 of wireless listening device 1300 can be positioned as far awayfrom the user's body as possible, which can optimize antennaperformance. Furthermore, smaller components can be more compactlyarranged in the other regions of housing 1306, thereby allowing thoseregions of housing 1306 to be smaller, which thus reduces the overallsize of housing 1306. Having a smaller size can improve the comfort andappearance of wireless listening device 1300 when it is worn.

IV. User Interface for a Wireless Listening Device

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, one or moreprocessors of a wireless listening device can be configured to displaythe user's listening status and to interact with one or more sensors ofthe wireless listening device and execute commands stored in its memoryto provide a variety of unique user interface methods for allowing theuser to operate the wireless listening device, as will be discussedfurther herein.

A. Noise Cancelling Status Indicator

FIG. 14 is a side-view illustration 1400 of a wireless listening device1402 configured to display the user's listening status, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be appreciatedherein, wireless listening device 1402 can perform active noisecancellation functions, which can cancel out external sounds, and canperform transparency functions, which can amplify the external noise tothe user. Thus, it may be useful for wireless listening device 1402 tobe able to indicate whether the wireless listening device 1402 is inactive noise canceling mode where the user and cannot hear externalsounds or in transparency mode where the user can hear external sounds.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a dynamicvisual indicator 1404 can be implemented by wireless listening device1402 to display the user's listening status. For instance, visualindicator 1404 can be a light emitting diode that can display differentcolors of light and be positioned in housing 1406 where it can be seenwhen wireless listening device 1402 is worn by the user. In someembodiments, visual indicator 1404 can display different colors of lightdepending on the particular operating mode of wireless listening device1402. As an example, wireless listening device 1402 can be configured tooutput red light with visual indicator 1404 when wireless listeningdevice 1402 is in the active noise cancelling mode, green light whenwireless listening device 1402 is in the transparency mode, and/ororange light when wireless listening device 1402 is outputting sound,e.g., when the user is on a phone call or is listening to music. Thatway, people who may want to speak with the user can be apprised of thelistening status of the user without needing the user to tell them himor herself.

Other than changing the color of visual indicator 1404, wirelesslistening device 1402 can be configured to output varied flashingpatterns with visual indicator 1404 to show which mode is active. Forinstance, visual indicator 1404 can blink at a high frequency whenwireless listening device 1402 is in the active noise cancelling mode,can output a steady light when wireless listening device 1402 is in thetransparency mode, and can blink at a low frequency when wirelesslistening device 1402 is outputting sound when the user is on a phonecall or listening to music. Alternatively, wireless listening device1402 can be configured to output varied intensity of light with visualindicator 1404 to show which mode is active. For instance, visualindicator 1404 can emit bright light when wireless listening device 1402is in the active noise cancelling mode, no light when wireless listeningdevice 1402 is in the transparency mode, and dim light when the user ison a phone call or listening to music. Although FIG. 14 shows anembodiments where wireless listening device 1402 only has one visualindicator, embodiments are not so limited. Other embodiments can havemore than one visual indicator where different combinations of visualindicators can output light based on which mode is active, withoutdeparting from the sprit and scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, it is to be appreciated that other types of indicators canbe used instead of visual indicator 1404. For instance, an audioindicator can be used to indicate the user's listening status. As anexample, the wireless listening device's externally facing speaker canbe used as an audio indicator to output sound indicative of the user'slistening status. That is, the audio indicator can output be chirpingsounds and/or beeping sounds that are outputted at specific frequenciesand/or intervals to indicate the user's listening status.

B. User Input by Interacting with User Anatomy

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a wirelesslistening device can also be configured to interact with the anatomy ofa user's ear to receive various user inputs. For instance, differentparts of an ear can be pulled to effectuate a user input. FIG. 15 is aside-view illustration 1500 of a wireless listening device 1502configured to receive user input through interactions with the anatomyof a user's ear 1501, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In certain instances, wireless listening device 1500 can beconfigured to receive a user input when the user pulls certain parts ofear 1501.

For example, wireless listening device 1502 can associate a downwardpull 1504 of earlobe 1506 as a specific user input. When earlobe 1506 ispulled downward, antitragus 1508 of ear 1501 can also move downward by alesser degree. This downward motion of antitragus 1508 can be detectedby one or more optical sensors or microphones of wireless listeningdevice 1502 to identify that earlobe 1506 has been pulled and thus inturn receive the specific user input associated with downward pull 1504.

In another example, wireless listening device 1502 can associate anoutward pull 1510 of the side of helix 1512 as a specific user input.When the side of helix 1512 is pulled outward, antihelix 1514 of ear1501 can also move outward by a lesser degree. This outward motion ofantihelix 1514 can be detected by one or more optical sensors ormicrophones of wireless listening device 1502 to identify that side ofhelix 1512 has been pulled outward and thus in turn receive the specificuser input associated with outward pull 1510.

In yet another example, wireless listening device 1502 can associate anupward pull 1504 of the top of helix 1512 as a specific user input. Whenthe top of helix 1512 is pulled upward, antihelix 1514 of ear 1501 canalso move upward by a lesser degree. This upward motion of antihelix1514 can be detected by one or more optical sensors or microphones ofwireless listening device 1502 to identify that top of helix 1512 hasbeen pulled upward and thus in turn receive the specific user inputassociated with upward pull 1516.

Although FIG. 15 discusses pulling the ear for various user inputs,embodiments are not so limited. As an example, wireless listening device1502 can be configured to associate any type of interaction with the earas a specific user input, such as a flicking of earlobe 1506. Whenearlobe 1506 is flicked, a vibrating force can be detected by wirelesslistening device 1502 and a specific input can be received. In additionto the ear, other parts of a user's anatomy can also be used for userinput. For instance, the user's teeth can be used to indicate a userinput when the teeth are “clicked”, e.g., bitten together to generate aclicking or tapping sound. The sound of the teeth clicking can be pickedup by one or more microphones, and/or the specific reverberationsthrough skull caused by the teeth clicking can be picked up by one ormore sensors, e.g., accelerometers, in wireless listening device 1502.Such flicking vibrations and/or teeth clicking sounds can be learned orset up ahead of time when the user pairs wireless listening device 1502with a host device for the first time. Furthermore, wireless listeningdevice 1502 can be configured to measure vibrations and/or other signalscreated by a finger touching and moving along a surface of the wirelesslistening device 1502. The direction of motion and position of thefinger as it touches wireless listening device 1502 can be received asan input by wireless listening device 1502. For instance, a user can runhis finger up or down a stem (not shown in FIG. 15, but shown in FIG. 16as stem 1606) of wireless listening device 1502 to effectuate an inputsuch as increasing volume when the finger is run up the stem anddecreasing volume when the finger is run down the stem.

C. User Input by Voice Control

Other than using physical interactions with the user's anatomy, specificuser inputs can be effectuated using voice control. For instance, aspoken phrase including one or more words can be received as a userinput, e.g., a voice command. Often, electronic devices that enablevoice control require the use of a trigger phrase in order for it toreceive a user input. A trigger phrase can be a default phrase that isspoken by the user and recognized by the host device. Once the triggerphase is recognized, the host device can treat the next spoken phrase asa user input. Using a trigger phrase to recognize user inputs is atwo-step process that can be cumbersome to use because the user has tospeak two phrases instead of one. Furthermore, electronic devices maynot be able to recognize when a specific user is speaking the command.Often times, an electronic device may mistakenly interpret a phrasespoken by a nearby non-user (e.g., someone who is not authorized tocontrol the device) during the normal course of a conversation as atrigger phrase or a voice command. As a result, the electronic devicemay inaccurately interpret parts of a conversation as unintentionalvoice commands. Or, unauthorized users may inappropriately operate theelectronic device by simply speaking the trigger phrase followed by avoice command.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a wirelesslistening device can enable a host device, e.g., smart phone, tablet,laptop, and the like, to identify a spoken phrase as a user inputwithout the need for a trigger phrase, and perform authentication of thespoken phrase before receiving the spoken phrase as a user input byverifying that the spoken phrase is indeed spoken by the user (e.g., auser authorized to control the host device). As an example, the hostdevice can receive a spoken phrase and then cross reference that spokenphrase with a list of predetermined spoken phrases. If the spoken phrasematches with any one of the spoken phrases in the list of predeterminedspoken phrases, then the host device can authenticate the spoken phraseby verifying whether the spoken phrase was spoken by the user.

In some embodiments, the host device can authenticate the spoken phraseby comparing the sounds (i.e., frequencies) of the spoken phrase withknown sounds of the user's voice. If the sounds match, then the hostdevice can determine that the spoken phrase is an input; otherwise, ifthe sounds do not match, then the host device can disregard the spokenphrase as not a user input. To further authenticate the spoken phrase,in some embodiments, the host device can utilize an accelerometer of thewireless listening device. For instance, the host device can receive ameasurement of vibrational force experienced by an accelerometer in thewireless listening device when the phrase was spoken. If the vibrationalforce is greater than a threshold value, then the authentication of thespoken phrase can be confirmed, or independently determined. Evenfurther authentication can be performed by the host device by utilizingone or more microphones of the wireless listening device. As an example,the host device can determine a directionality of the sound by analyzingthe temporal movement of sound across two microphones. If the directionof the sound is moving away from the wireless listening device, then theauthentication of the spoken phrase can be confirmed, or independentlydetermined.

Sometimes, a phrase spoken by the user during a conversation (i.e., aspoken phrase that is not intended to be a user input) may match with aspoken phrase in the list of predetermined spoken phrases. To minimizethe chances of the host device determining that a spoken phrase notintended to be a user input is interpreted to be a user input, the hostdevice can be configured to measure temporal spacing before and afterthe spoken phrase, and compare the measured temporal space with a delaythreshold. If the measured temporal spacing is greater than the delaythreshold, then the host device can determine that the spoken phrase isa user input; otherwise, if the measured temporal spacing is less thanthe delay threshold, then the host device can determine that the spokenphrase is not a user input.

In some embodiments, the list of predetermined spoken phrases and thesound of the user's voice can be set during a one-time initializationprotocol. During the initialization protocol, the host device can followa script to walk the user through various functions that can beinitiated by voice command, such as turning on active noise cancellationmode, turning on transparency mode, adjusting the volume,playing/pausing music, and various other functions. The host device canalso be configured to allow the user to define what the spoken phrasesshould be, thereby enhancing personal connection to the host device.

V. Stem with Bus Bar and Method of Forming an Eartip

Although embodiments discussed herein have shown housings that aresubstantially ovular/oblong (see FIGS. 2A-2B, 5B, 6A, 7, 11A-11B),and/or amorphous (see FIG. 13), embodiments are not limited to suchconfigurations. Rather, some embodiments can include a stem that can bean extension of the outer structure, e.g., outer structure 704 in FIG.7, that protrudes from the body of the housing. As an extension of theouter structure, the stem can also enclose one or more electricalcomponents within it. In some embodiments, the stem can be a tubularstructure that has electrical contacts at its far end for interactingwith a power source to charge the wireless listening device.

FIG. 16A is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary wirelesslistening device 1600 that includes an eartip 1602 coupled to a housing1604 that includes a body 1605 and a stem 1606, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. Housing 1604 can be formed of amonolithic outer structure that forms both body 1605 and stem 1606.Thus, the outer structure can include a body portion 1608 and a stemportion 1610 that extends from body portion 1608. The elongatedstructure of stem 1606 can be used as an alignment feature for aligningwireless listening device 1606 to a charging device, such as an case, aswill be discussed further herein with respect to FIG. 20. Stem 1606 canalso house electrical components and allow them to be positioned awayfrom housing 1604 for coupling with the charging device. The differentcomponents within stem 1606 are further discussed in detail herein withrespect to FIG. 16B.

FIG. 16B is a simplified illustration of the electrical componentswithin stem 1606, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As shown, stem 1606 can include two external contacts 1612and 1614 positioned at the very bottom of an outer structure 1607 ofstem 1606. External contacts 1612 and 1614 can be conductive structuresconfigured to make contact with leads of an external charging device,such as an case in which wireless listening device 1600 is stored whennot used by a user. Contacts 1612 can be securely coupled to an insertmold 1616 that holds contacts 1612 and 1614 in place at the bottom ofstem 1606 (e.g., attaches contacts 1612 and 1614 to stem 1606 at thepoint farthest away from housing 1604). Insert mold 1616 can be acosmetic piece that has similar aesthetics to outer structure 1607 ofstem 1606 to provide an aesthetically pleasing seamless transitionbetween insert mold 1616 and outer structure 1607. In some embodiments,insert mold 1616 and contact 1614 can define an opening 1618 thatextends through insert mold 1616 and contact 1614 from an outer surfaceof contact 1614 to an inner surface of insert mold 1616. Opening 1618can be an acoustic port that can enable sound waves outside of stem 1606to enter into stem 1606 so that an internal component, such as amicrophone (not shown), can receive the sound waves. Although not shownin FIG. 16B, a gasket can be implemented between insert mold 1616 andouter structure 1607 of stem 1607. That way, a quality seal can beformed between them to prevent intrusion of moisture and/or debris.

Stem 1606 can also include an interconnection structure 1620, e.g.,interconnection structure 708 in FIG. 7, that can be any suitableinterconnection structure for coupling electronic devices to oneanother, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). In some embodiments,interconnection structure 1620 is a part of interconnection structure708 in FIG. 7 that extends into stem outer structure 1607, or acompletely separate interconnection structure positioned in stem outerstructure 1607. Interconnection structure 1620 can have variouselectrical components (not shown) mounted on it, such as electronicdevices 710 discussed herein with respect to FIG. 7. In someembodiments, external contacts 1612 and 1614 are electrically coupled tointerconnection structure 1620. Some ways in which external contacts1612 and 1614 can be coupled to interconnection structure 1620 caninclude extending interconnection structure 1620 downward through stemouter structure 1607 so that interconnection structure 1620 can directlyattach to external contacts 1612 and 1614 by soldering, hot barprocessing, or any other means. In such cases, however, the high heattemperatures from soldering during final assembly, test and pack (FATP)can warp and/or discolor insert mold 1616, which can negatively impactthe aesthetics of insert mold 1616 and its seamless aestheticintegration with outer structure 1607.

Thus, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a bus barassembly 1622 can be implemented in stem 1606 to move high-heatprocesses, such as soldering or hot bar processes, away from insert mold1616 during FATP. Bus bar assembly 1622 can include a bus bar 1624, twoleads 1626 and 1628 at the bottom of bus bar 1624, and a contact head1630 at the top of bus bar 1624. Bus bar 1624 can be formed of one ormore layers of copper traces coated with a protective insulating film,leads 1626 and 1628 can be exposed ends of the one or more layers ofcopper traces for making contact with external structures, and contacthead 1630 can include exposed ends of the one or more layers of coppertraces coupled to an alignment frame. Further details of bus bar 1624and contact head 1630 are discussed further herein with respect to FIGS.17A-17B and 18A-18B.

In some embodiments, bus bar 1624 can be a flexible cable thatelectrically couples leads 1626 and 1628 to contact head 1630, so thatstructures contacting leads 1626 and 1628 can be electrically coupled tostructures contacting contact head 1630. As an example, externalcontacts 1612 and 1614 can be coupled to leads 1626 and 1628, andinterconnection structure 1620 can be coupled to contact head 1630 sothat external contacts 1612 and 1614 can be electrically coupled tointerconnection structure 1620 (or any other electronic componentsmounted on interconnection structure 1620) via bus bar 1624. By usingbus bar 1624, stem 1606 can be constructed without subjecting insertmold 1616 to high temperature processes. For instance, duringmanufacturing, leads 1626 and 1628 can first be laser welded to externalcontacts 1612 and 1614 when insert mold 1616 is not present. Then,contacts 1612 and 1614 can be overmolded to form insert mold 1616.Afterwards, at FATP, contact head 1630 of bus bar assembly 1622 can behot barred or soldered to interconnection structure 1620. Accordingly,the hot temperature process step of hot barring/soldering is moved awayfrom insert mold 1616, and the laser welding process can be performedwhen insert mold is not present. That way, the cosmetic and structuralintegrity of insert mold 1616 can be maintained, thereby forming a moreaesthetically pleasing and structurally sound product, as well asimproving manufacturing yield. Using bus bar assembly 1622 also allowsinsert mold 1616 along with contacts 1612 and 1614 to move around sothat an adhesive can easily be applied to the entire interface surfacebetween insert mold 1616 and outer structure 1607. This easesmanufacturing and provides a better seal between them.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are perspective view illustrations of differentcontact heads for a bus bar assembly, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 17A is a perspective viewillustration of an exemplary contact head 1700 configured with analignment bar, and FIG. 17B is a perspective view illustration of anexemplary contact head 1700 configured with an alignment frame.

As shown in FIG. 17A, conductive head 1700 can include contacts 1704 and1706. Contacts 1704 and 1706 can be exposed ends of copper traces 1703and 1705 in bus bar 1624 that are formed to include contact features1704 and 1706. Contact features 1704 and 1706 can be in the shape ofcircles as shown in FIG. 17A to increase the surface area of coppertraces 1703 and 1705 to enable a more robust coupling with aninterconnection structure, e.g., interconnection structure 1620 in FIG.16B. Conductive head 1700 can also include an alignment bar 1702 foraligning contact features 1704 and 1706 to specific contact locations onthe interconnection structure. Alignment bar 1702 can be positioned atends of copper traces 1703 and 1705 opposite from bus bar 1624. In someembodiments, alignment bar 1702 can include alignment features 1708 and1710 positioned on laterally opposite ends of alignment bar 1702.Alignment features 1708 and 1710 can be in the shape of crescents thatare configured to align with complementary alignment posts, which can bepositioned on the interconnection structure. Although alignment bar 1702is shown as a single horizontal piece, alignment bar 1702 can bereinforced to prevent bending during FATP, as discussed in FIG. 17B.

With reference to FIG. 17B, conductive head 1701 can include analignment frame 1712 positioned around contact features 1704 and 1706.Alignment frame 1712 can be in the shape of a picture frame thatincludes four parts: a top part 1714, a bottom part 1716, and two sideparts 1718 and 1720, which together form a monolithic structure. Sideparts 1718 and 1720 can include alignment features 1708 and 1710 forhelping align contact features 1704 and 1706 to specific contactlocations on the interconnection structure. The four parts of alignmentframe 1712 can better resist bending and/or buckling during FATP to easemanufacturing.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are cross-sectional view illustrations of differentbus bars for a bus bar assembly, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Specifically FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional viewillustration of an exemplary bus bar 1800 having two conductive tracesin a single layer, and FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view illustrationof an exemplary bus bar 1801 having two conductive traces in differentlayers.

As shown in FIG. 18A, bus bar 1800 can include a first copper trace 1802and a second copper trace 1804 that are both insulated from one anotherby insulating film 1806. First copper trace 1802 can be coupled toground, and second copper trace 1804 can be coupled to power, or viceversa. First and second copper traces 1802 and 1804 can be formed in asingle layer such that copper traces 1802 and 1804 are coplanar.Insulating film 1806 can be formed of any suitable insulating material,such as polyimide (PI) or any other polymer material. Although first andsecond copper traces 1802 and 1804 are shown to be arranged in a singlelayer in FIG. 18A, embodiments are not limited to such configurations.In some embodiments, the copper traces can be arranged in differentlayers, as shown in FIG. 18B.

With reference to FIG. 18B, bus bar 1801 can include a first coppertrace 1808 and a second copper trace 1810 that are both disposed withinan insulating film 1812. First copper trace 1808 can be coupled topower, and second copper trace 1810 can be coupled to ground, or viceversa. First and second copper traces 1808 and 1810 can be formed indifferent layers that are separated by an insulating layer 1814.Insulating film 1812 and insulating layer 1814 can be formed of anysuitable insulating material, such as polyimide (PI) or any othernon-conductive polymer material. By arranging first and second coppertraces 1808 and 1810 in different layers, each trace can take advantageof the entire width of bus bar 1801. Thus, any of copper traces, e.g.,second copper trace 1810, can have a width that extends across theentire width of bus bar 1810. Having a greater width increases thecross-sectional area of second copper trace 1810, thereby allowingsecond copper trace 1810 to have less resistance, which improves theconductivity of bus bar 1801.

VI. Method of Forming an Eartip

FIGS. 19A-19G are simplified illustrations of an exemplary method offorming an eartip, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The eartip can be eartip 300 discussed herein with respectto FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 19A, a first mold 1900 can be patterned overa first side 1901 of wire mesh 1902. Wire mesh 1902 can be a circulardisk cut from a sheet of wire cloth formed of a network of wire suitablefor allowing sound to pass through but preventing dust from passingthrough, e.g., 50 mesh wire cloth. In some embodiments, wire mesh 1902can have a lip 1904 that is bent at a 90 degree angle around the entireperimeter of wire mesh 1902, as illustrated by the dotted linesrepresenting structures that are behind the cut line. Lip 1904 can beused as an alignment feature for later processes. In certainembodiments, first mold 1900 can include a flat layer 1905 and aprotrusion 1906 extending from the center of flat layer 1905. Flat layer1905 can cover a surface of wire mesh 1902 bordered by lip 1904, andprotrusion 1906 can be a tapered structure that narrows as it extendsaway from wire mesh 1902. Protrusion 1906 can act as an alignmentfeature that can work alone or in conjunction with lip 1905 foralignment purposes in later processing.

In some embodiments, a second mold 1910 can be formed on a second side1903 of wire mesh 1902 opposite of first side 1901. Second mold 1910 canbe formed as a mirror image of first mold 1900 and positioned to bevertically aligned with first mold 1900. Thus, second mold 1910 can alsoinclude a flat layer 1912 and a protrusion 1914 extending from thecenter of flat layer 1912. Protrusion 1914 can be a tapered structurethat narrows as it extends away from wire mesh 1902 and first mold 1900.Protrusion 1914 can act as an alignment feature for later processing,e.g., injection molding. In some embodiments, first and second molds1900 and 1910 can be formed of a material that resists bonding withcertain materials and can function as a mask that prevents those certainmaterials from forming on regions of wire mesh 1902 covered by first andsecond molds 1900 and 1910, as will be discussed further herein.Although FIGS. 19A and 19B are ordered such that first mold 1900 isformed before second mold 1910, it is to be appreciated that this ismerely exemplary and that other embodiments can form second mold 1910before first mold 1900 without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure.

Once second mold 1910 is formed, then the resulting structure can bepositioned on a tool fixture 1916 as shown in FIG. 19C. Tool fixture1916 can be a fixture of a processing tool, e.g., a silicon moldingtool, having a recess 1918 designed to receive and position thestructure including wire mesh 1902 and first and second molds 1900 and1910 in the correct position for processing. In some embodiments,protrusion 1906 of first mold 1900 can correctly align the structure totool fixture 1916 by resting in recess 1918. Furthermore, lip 1904 canalso help align the structure with tool fixture 1916 by wrapping aroundthe outer edges of fixture 1916.

After the structure is properly aligned, energy can be applied to meltportions of first and second molds 1900 and 1910. For instance,ultrasonic energy can be applied to the structure and cause first andsecond molds 1900 and 1910 to melt over a portion of wire mesh 1902disposed between first and second molds 1900 and 1910, thereby formingcombined mold 1920. By melting first and second molds 1900 and 1910 tocover a portion of wire mesh 1902, air gaps between first and secondmolds 1900 and 1910 can be removed and wire mesh 1902 can thus be bettercoated and protected by molds 1900 and 1910 so that formation ofstructures using injection molding in later processing steps, such as anattachment mechanism and a inner eartip body of the eartip, can beprevented from leaking and/or flashing/spreading into portions of wiremesh 1902 covered by molds 1900 and 1910, as discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 19E and 19F.

As shown in FIG. 19E, an attachment mechanism 1922 can be formed byinjection molding. Attachment mechanism 1922 can be substantiallysimilar in structure to attachment structure 308 discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 3A and 3C. Attachment structure 308 can, in someembodiments, be molded over lip 1904 of wire mesh 1902. Molding over lip1904 can provide sufficient surface area for attachment mechanism 1922to securely couple with wire mesh 1902. In some embodiments, attachmentstructure 308 can be formed of a stiff polymer, such as polycarbonate.As can be appreciated herein, molds 1900 and 1910 (and thus combinedmold 1920) can be formed of a material that resists forming a chemicalbond with polycarbonate (PC) materials, e.g., a synthetic polymer likepolyvynl alcohol (PVA). By forming molds 1900 and 1910 with PVA,combined mold 1920 can act as a mask that prevents flashing of PCmaterials into inner regions of wire mesh 1902. As will be appreciatedfurther herein with respect to FIG. 19G, molds 1900 and 1910 can beformed of a soluble material so that it can be cleanly removed to leavewire mesh 1902 intact.

Then, as shown in FIG. 19F, the rest of the eartip can be formed. Forinstance, a single, monolithic structure 1924 including inner eartipbody 1926 and outer eartip body 1928 can be formed. The structure andpurpose of inner eartip body 1926 and outer eartip body 1928 can besimilar to inner eartip body 316 and outer eartip body 322 discussedherein with respect to FIGS. 3A-4C. Monolithic structure 1924 can beformed of a soft, compliant material that can easily bend and deform tofit within an ear canal. As an example, monolithic structure 1924, andthus inner eartip body 1926 and outer eartip body 1928 by association,can be formed of silicone. Structure 1924 can be formed over portions ofattachment mechanism 1922 so that attachment mechanism 1922 can providea stiff stopper with which structure 1924 can attach to the eartip.

Once structure 1924 including inner eartip body 1926 and outer eartipbody 1928 is formed, combined mold 1920 can be removed to form thecompleted eartip, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure as shown in FIG. 19G. For instance, mold 1920 can bedissolved and washed away using a solvent compatible for removing PVA,such as hot water. Removing mold 1920 can expose the once-coveredportions of wire mesh 1902 and leave it intact. That way, wire mesh 1902can remain as a barrier for debris and an avenue through which sound canpass through, such as sound generated by a housing, e.g., housing 702 inFIG. 7.

VII. Case for Wireless Listening Devices

As mentioned herein, a wireless listening device can be one of a pair ofwireless listening devices that are designed to fit in the ears of auser and to fit within an case when not in use. The case can protect thewireless listening devices from physical damage as well as provide asource of power for charging the wireless listening devices.

FIGS. 20A-20C are different views of an exemplary case for a pair ofwireless listening devices, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Specifically, FIG. 20A is a front-view illustration of acase 2000 that is transparent to illustrate the configuration of thecomponents inside of case 2000 from the front, FIG. 20B is a back-viewillustration of case 2000 that is also transparent to illustrate theconfiguration of the components inside of case 2000 from the back, andFIG. 20C is a cross-sectional view illustration of case 2000.

As shown in FIG. 20A, case 2000 can include a lid 2002 and a body 2004that forms an internal cavity for housing a pair of wireless listeningdevices 2006 a-b. Lid 2002 and body 2004 can meet at interface 2005. Insome embodiments, case 2000 can include an internal frame 2008 formed ofa monolithic structure including portions 2008 a-d designed to providecontours and surface features against which wireless listening devices2006 a-b can rest in the strategic positions discussed herein tominimize the size of case 2000. Portion 2008 a can be a part of theinternal frame that makes contact with body 2004 to seal areas insidecase 2000 below portion 2008 a from the outside environment. Portions2008 b-c can be parts upon which stems 2010 a-b can rest, and portions2008 d-e can be parts upon which eartips 2012 a-b and housings 2014 a-bcan rest. Details of internal frame 2008 are further shown and discussedherein with respect to FIGS. 21A-21B, and 22A-22B.

To minimize the overall size of case 2000, wireless listening devices2006 a-b can be positioned at strategic angles when placed in case 2000.In some embodiments, each stem 2010 a-b of respective wireless listeningdevices 2006 a-b are positioned at an angle with respect to two axis: anx-axis and a y-axis, instead of being positioned substantially verticalwhere the stem is not positioned at any angle in the x- and y-axes. Forpurposes of description, the x-axis runs between wireless listeningdevices 2006 a-b, the y-axis runs between the front and the back of thecase, and the z-axis runs between the bottom of body 2004 and the top oflid 2002.

Case 2000 can be configured to charge wireless listening devices 2006a-b when they are housed in case 2000. Thus, case 2000 can include twopairs of contacts 2016 a-b and 2018 a-b for making electrical contactwith respective pins on stems 2010 a-b so that charge can flow from aninternal battery of case 2000 to internal batteries of wirelesslistening devices 2006 a-b. In some embodiments, the contacts of eachpair of contacts are positioned on axes 2020 a-b that are oriented at 90degree angles with respect to one another. That way, the amount of spaceneeded to implement contacts 2016 a-b is smaller when compared to othercontact arrangements, such as some contact arrangements where the twocontacts are positioned at 180 degree angles with respect to oneanother. Utilizing less space results in more space for other componentswithin case 2000 and/or helps reduce the overall size of case 2000.

In some embodiments, contacts 2016 a-b and 2018 a-b can be sealed fromthe outside environment to protect them from moisture. For instance,sealing rings 2022 a, 2022 b, and 2022 c can be strategically positionedat interface regions that are entry points to contacts 2016 a-b and 2018a-b. As an example, sealing ring 2022 a and 2022 b can be positioned onopposite ends of each contact 2016 a-b and 2018 a-b, and sealing ring2022 c can be positioned on a portion of the interior frame aroundportion 2008 b.

Case 2000 can also include a visual indicator 2024 configured to emitdifferent colors of light. Visual indicator 2024 can change colorsdepending on the charge status of the case, e.g., emit green light whenthe case is charged, emit orange light when the case battery is chargingand/or when the case battery has less than a full charge, and red lightwhen the battery is depleted. When viewed from outside of case 2000,visual indicator 2024 can have a circular shape, or any other suitableshape, such as square-like, rectangular, oval, and the like. With briefreference to FIG. 20C, visual indicator 2024 can include a light emitter2025 and a light tube 2027. Light emitted from emitter 2024 can beprojected into light tube 2027, which can direct the light out of case2000. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an inputend of light tube 2027 and an output end of light tube 2027 can havedifferent shapes, as will be discussed further herein with respect toFIG. 25.

As shown in the back-view illustration of case 2000 in FIG. 20B, case2000 can include two sets of retaining magnets 2030 a-b positioned belowportions of housing bodies of respective wireless listening devices 2006a-b. Each set of retaining magnets can be specifically configured toattract and hold respective wireless listening devices 2006 a-b in placewhen devices 2006 a-b are placed in case 2000. For example, each set ofretaining magnets 2030 a-b can include a plurality of magnets and shuntsthat are uniquely designed and arranged to generate highly concentratedmagnetic attraction on ferrous retention slabs in wireless listeningdevices 2006 a-b, as discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 23 and24A-24B.

Case 2000 can further include a button 2032 mounted on a buttonsubstrate 2034, such as a PCB, that includes conductive traces forrouting electrical signals when button 2032 is pressed by a user. Button2032 can be configured to initiate different commands when pressed, suchas a reset command or a pairing command with an external device, such asa smart phone. In some embodiments, case 2000 can also include awireless power receiving coil 2036 formed of a wire arranged in aplurality of turns between an outer diameter 2038 and an inner diameter2040. Receiving coil 2036 can wind around button 2032 so that button2032 is positioned at a center of receiving coil 2036 within innerdiameter 2040. Receiving coil 2036 can interact with time-varyingmagnetic flux to generate current that can be used to charge an internalbattery of case 2000. To minimize the height and width of receiving coil2036, a portion of receiving coil 2036 can overlap with a portion ofbutton substrate 2034 so that inner diameter 2040 is positioned oversubstrate 2034. Another view of this configuration can be seen in thecross-sectional view of FIG. 20C. As shown, portions of coil 2036 canoverlap the outer regions of button substrate 2034, and button 2032 canbe positioned within the inner diameter of coil 2036. In someembodiments, button 2032 can include an o-ring 2035 that can act as adynamic seal that moves with the movement of button 2032. O-ring 2035can seal the internal components of case 2000 from the outsideenvironment around button 2032. By using o-ring 2035, space utilized bybutton 2032 can be minimized, thereby allowing coil 2036 to overlap withportions of button substrate 2034, which helps decrease the size of case2000 as a whole.

With reference back to FIG. 20B, in some embodiments, case 2000 can alsoinclude, a speaker 2041 configured to emit audible sound. Speaker 2041can be configured to emit sound to indicate different states of thedevice. For instance, speaker 2041 can emit a beep when case 2000 issuccessfully paired with an external device, such as a smart phone,and/or emit sound when case 2000 drops out of connection with theexternal device. Furthermore, speaker 2041 can be configured to emit arepetitive pinging noise when it is in a find-me mode, such as when thecase is lost and the user is looking for the case.

Case 2000 can also include an antenna 2042 for sending and receivingradio frequency (RF) signals. Antenna 2042 can be a conductive bodyformed on a case substrate 2044 and can be positioned a distance awayfrom other electrical components to mitigate interference of antennaoperation. For instance, a clearance zone 2046 can be imposed aroundantenna 2042 where other electrical components are not allowed to bepositioned. By having an antenna, case 2000 can wirelessly communicatewith other devices to send and receive data and commands. For instance,if the case is lost, the user can access his or her smart phone to whichcase 2000 is paired and initiate the find-me sequence where speaker 2041is activated to emit the repetitive pinging noise. Antenna 2042 can bepositioned at one of two bottom corners of case 2000 within body 2004and away from lid 2002. In some instances, speaker 2041 can bepositioned in the other of two bottom corners of case 2000 within body2004 and away from lid 2002, as shown in FIG. 20B.

As shown in FIG. 20C, case 2000 can include a hinge 2048 for opening andclosing lid 2002. Hinge 2048 can be a bistable hinge that has two stablestates: an open state and a closed state. Having a bistable hinge canallow for case 2000 to close without needing many magnets to generate ahigh magnetic attraction force to draw lid 2002 toward body 2004 toclose lid 2002. Accordingly, only a single magnet 2050 may be sufficientto keep lid 2002 closed. Thus, in the stable closed state, hinge 2048can cause lid 2002 to press on body 2004 and magnet 2050 may need tohave just enough force to help it stay closed to resist inadvertentopening of lid 2002. Details of bistable hinge 2048 is discussed furtherherein with respect to FIGS. 27 and 28A-28C.

To help keep lid 2002 closed, magnet 2050 can be attracted to a magneticcomponent in body 2004. For instance, a shunt 2052 formed of a ferrousblock of material, such as steel, can be positioned within body 2004immediately below a top surface of body 2004 and aligned with magnet2050 when lid 2002 is in the closed position. Magnet 2050 can beattracted to shunt 2052 when the magnetic fields from magnet 2050interact with the ferrous properties of shunt 2052. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, shunt 2052 can operate as ahybrid retention and sensor shunt that can not only help lid 2002 stayclosed by attracting magnet 2050, but also be used as a sensor componentso that a sensor 2054 positioned below shunt 2052 can detect when lid2002 is opened or closed by way of shunt 2052, as will be discussedfurther herein with respect to FIGS. 26A-26B. Sensor 2052 can be anysuitable sensor that can detect the presence of a magnetic field, suchas a hall-effect sensor.

In some embodiments, case 2000 can further include one or more energystorage devices 2056 a-b, upon which a plurality of electrical devicescan be mounted. Energy storage devices 2056 can store power that can bedischarged to operate case 2000. In some embodiments, case 2000 caninclude two energy storage devices 2056 a-b that are positioned onopposite sides of a vertically oriented case substrate 2044, as will bediscussed further herein with respect to FIGS. 29A-29C. In addition toincluding an antenna, e.g., antenna 2042 discussed herein with respectto FIG. 20B, case substrate 2044 can operate as the motherboard foroperating case 2000, and can thus include communication systems,computing systems, and circuities, e.g., case communication system 121,case computing system 119, and power transmitting circuitry 120 in FIG.1.

A. Internal Frame

As discussed herein with respect to FIG. 20A, an internal frame can beformed of a monolithic structure designed to provide contours andsurface features against which electronic components within the case canrest and/or attach. FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate different views of anexemplary internal frame 2100, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 21A is a simplified perspectiveview illustration of internal frame 2100, and FIG. 21B is a simplifiedtop-down view illustration of internal frame 2100.

Internal frame 2100 is substantially similar to internal frame 2008 inFIG. 20A, and can provide the structural backbone for the internalcomponents of a case. As discussed herein with respect to FIG. 20A, theinternal frame can provide a structure upon which electrical devices canbe mounted and compartmentalized, such as wireless listening devices, aprinted circuit board, batteries, speakers, and the like. Thus, internalframe 2100 can define two bowl regions 2102 a-b for accepting eachwireless listening device, a center region 2105 defined by flaps 2017a-b for holding battery packs and a printed circuit board withelectrical devices, and various other contours for other electronicdevices discussed herein.

In some embodiments, internal frame 2100 can be configured to seal theinternal components of a case from the outside environment through thetop of the case body. Thus, internal frame 2100 can include a sealingstructure 2104 that is formed of a pliable material suitable for sealingpurposes. Sealing structure 2104 can follow the contours of the topridges of internal frame 2100. For instance, sealing structure 2104 canextend around the perimeter of the top ridge of internal frame 2100, asshown in FIG. 21A. To seal off regions around a hinge (not shown) forthe case, sealing structure 2104 can diverge at a first point 2018,extend around a clearance region 2106 in which a portion of the hingecould be positioned, and then converge back together past clearanceregion 2106 at a second point 2020, which then continues as part ofsealing structure 2104. Thus, sealing structure 2104 can include a firstdiverged portion 2023 and a second diverged portion 2024.

As shown in FIG. 21A, first diverged portion 2023 can be positioned adistance away from second diverged portion 2024. In some embodiments,first diverged portion 2023 can be positioned a vertical distance awayfrom second diverged portion 2024. And, as shown in FIG. 21B, firstdiverged portion 2023 can also be positioned a lateral distance awayfrom second diverged portion 2024. In some instances, first divergedportion 2023 can be positioned at the outer perimeter of internal frame2100, while second diverged portion 2024 can be positioned within theouter perimeter of internal frame 2100. As will be appreciated furtherherein with respect to FIGS. 22A-22B, second diverged portion 2024 canbe constructed differently than the rest of sealing structure 2104,including first diverged portion 2023, so that when internal frame 2100is positioned within a body of a case and an insert is positioned overinternal frame 2100, sealing structures 2014 can seal the electricalcomponents within the case body from the outside environment.

FIGS. 22A-22B illustrate cross-sectional views of internal frame 2100implemented in a body 2200 of a case with an insert 2203 attached on thetop of body 2200, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Specifically, FIG. 22A is a simplified cross-sectional viewillustration 2200 of internal frame 2100, and FIG. 22B is a simplifiedzoomed-in view illustration 2201 of a portion of the cross-sectionalview of FIG. 22A. The cross-sectional views can be from a perspectiveacross the cut line shown in FIG. 21B

Insert 2203 can be a structure that is pressed over internal frame 2100and functions as part of the outer top structure of body 2200 of thecase. As can be seen in the cross-sectional view illustration 2200 ofinternal frame 2100, sealing structure 2104 and first diverged portion2023 can make contact with both insert 2203 and body 2200, while seconddiverged portion 2024 can make contact with only insert 2203 and notbody 2200. Thus, second diverged portion 2024 can be configured to makea face seal with internal frame 2100, while the rest of sealingstructure 2104 including first diverged portion 2023 can be configuredto make both a face seal with insert 2203 and a radial seal with body2200.

As shown in the close-up cross-sectional view illustration 2201 ofsealing structure 2104 in FIG. 22B, sealing structure 2104 can include ahorizontal portion 2204 and a vertical portion 2206 such that thecombination of horizontal portion 2204 and vertical portion 2206 forms amonolithic structure having an “L” shape profile. Horizontal portion2204 can interface with an inner side surface of case 2200 whilevertical portion 2206 can interface with a bottom surface of insert2203. Thus, regions beside and below sealing structure 2104 may besealed from the outside environment. Configuring sealing structure 2104in this manner allows sealing structure 2104 to achieve two sealingpoints in different axis with only one structure instead of two. It isto be appreciated that first diverged portion 2023 can have the samestructure and function as the portion of sealing structure 2104 shown inFIG. 22B, but first diverged portion 2023 can just be arranged as amirror image of the portion of sealing structure 2104 because it sealswith an opposite side of body 2200, as can be seen in FIG. 21B.

B. Magnetic Retention System

As discussed herein, a case can include two sets of retaining magnets,each of which can be specifically configured to attract and holdrespective wireless listening devices in place when the devices areplaced in the case. FIG. 23 is a simplified cross-sectional viewillustration 2300 of a set of retaining magnets 2302 and a wirelesslistening device 2304 aside from any other component within device 2304and the case in which both magnets 2302 and device 2304 are positioned.Set of retaining magnets 2302 can attract a retention slab 2306 within ahousing of wireless listening device 2304. Retention slab 2306 can havea curved surface that complements the curved surface of the housing ofwireless listening device 2304. Retention slab 2306 can be formed of anysuitable ferrous material, such as an iron and silicon alloy. In someembodiments, retention slab 2306 is positioned at a bottom region of thehousing and above a stem 2308 of wireless listening device 2304. Thatway, the distance between retention slab 2306 and set of retainingmagnets 2302 is small to increase the potential magnetic force achievedby set of retaining magnets 2302. In some embodiments, the amount ofattractive magnetic force achieved along a direction, e.g. along an axis2309 of stem 2308, is approximately 1 to 1.5 N, particularly 1.2 N insome embodiments. Because the direction of the targeted attractivemagnetic force is at an angle, the actual amount of force that set ofretaining magnets 2302 achieves in the vertical direction may be greaterthan 1.2 N, such as 1.5 N.

To achieve sufficient attractive magnetic force within certain sizeconstraints, set of retaining magnets 2302 can be specifically designedto augment its magnetic field in one direction. And, in some instances,set of retaining magnets 2302 can be further designed to concentrate itsmagnetic field toward a small region within the general augmenteddirection. An example of this is shown more detail in FIGS. 24A and 24B,which are simplified illustrations of an exemplary set of retainingmagnets 2400, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Specifically, FIG. 24A is a front-view illustration of set of retainingmagnets 2400, and FIG. 24B is a top-down view illustration of set ofretaining magnets 2400.

As shown in FIG. 24A, set of retaining magnets 2400 can include severalmagnets arranged beside one another like a Halbach array. For instance,set of retaining magnets 2400 can include four magnets 2402 a-d wherepair of magnets 2402 b-c are positioned directly beside one another, andmagnets 2402 a and 2402 d are positioned on opposite sides of magnets2402 b-c. To concentrate magnetic field to a specific area, e.g., anarea 2404 above magnets 2402 b and 2402 c, the polarity of each magnetin set of retaining magnets 2400 can have its polarity oriented in adifferent way. As an example, the polarity of magnet 2402 a can beoriented downward and at an angle 2408 tilted away from magnet 2402 bwith respect to a vertical dimension, the polarity of magnet 2402 b canbe oriented vertically downward with no tilt angle, the polarity ofmagnet 2402 c can be oriented vertically upward with no tilt angle, andthe polarity of magnet 2402 d can be oriented upward and at an angle2410 tilted toward magnet 2402 c with respect to the vertical dimension.By arranging the magnets of set of retaining magnets 2400 in thismanner, magnetic fields can be concentrated toward area 2404 whereretention slab 2306 may be positioned so that set of retaining magnets2400 can generate a sufficiently high attractive magnetic force toretain the wireless listening device with strenuous size constraints.For reference, the orientation of the polarities of magnets 2402 a-d arerepresented by arrows where the north pole is represented by anarrowhead and the south pole is represented by the tail, or vice versa.

Although both magnets 2402 a and 2402 d have polarities whoseorientations are positioned at an angle with respect to a vertical axis,the degree of their tilt angle can depend on the position of area 2404.If area 2404 is to be positioned along the center of set of retainingmagnets 2400, then angles 2408 and 2410 may be the same. However, ifarea 2404 is to be positioned a little to the left of center, thenangles 2408 and 2410 can be adjusted accordingly, e.g., angle 2408 canbe decreased and angle 2410 can be increased. In some embodiments, thedegree of tilt for angles 2408 and 2410 can range between 20 and 40degrees, such as 28 degrees for angle 2408 and 34 degrees for angle2410, in certain particular instances. Furthermore, although magnets2402 b-c are shown as having polarities oriented in only one dimension(the z-dimension) and magnets 2402 a and 2402 d are shown as havingpolarities oriented in two dimensions (the z- and x-dimensions) forpulling shunt 2306 vertically downward, embodiments are not so limited.Other embodiments can include magnets 2402 b-c that have polarities intwo dimensions (the z-dimension and the y-dimension) and magnets 2402 aand 2402 d that have polarities in three dimensions. That way, theresulting magnetic force does not only have a vertical downwardcomponent, but also has a lateral y-dimension component to moreefficiently direct an attractive force along axis 2309 of stem 2308 bymore closely aligning the direction of magnetic force to axis 2309 ofstem 2308.

Although FIG. 24A shows a set of retaining magnets as having fourmagnets, is to be appreciated that embodiments are not so limited andthat any other number and configuration of magnets are envisioned hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.For instance, a set of retaining magnets can have six magnets where thetwo central magnets have vertical magnetic polarities, while theimmediately adjacent two magnets straddling the two central magnets haveangled magnetic polarities, and the final outer two magnets straddlingthe inner four magnets have magnetic polarities that are even moreangled than the immediately adjacent two magnets. It can be appreciatedthat any number of magnets can be used and with different polarities tofocus the magnetic force at a certain region above the set of retainingmagnets, as discussed herein.

In some embodiments, set of retaining magnets 2400 can have a topsurface 2406 that is curved to follow the curve of an interface surfaceupon which the housing of wireless listening device 2304 may rest. Thus,the curvature of top surface 2406 of set of retaining magnets 2400 canfollow the curvature of the bottom of the housing of wireless listeningdevice 2304 where retention slab 2306 may be positioned. While topsurface 2406 is curved, each magnet 2402 a-d in set of retaining magnets2400 may be substantially vertical structures. For instance, each magnet2402 a-d in set of retaining magnets 2400 can have vertical sidewallsand horizontal bottom surfaces, while its top surface is curved. As canbe further appreciated in FIG. 24A, even though the structure of magnets2402 a and 2402 d are substantially vertical, the orientation of theirpolarity may be angled as shown by the arrows.

While use of magnets can result in a concentration of magnetic fields ina specific location, the magnetic properties of such magnets can alsoresult in a leakage of magnetic fields that are propagating inundesirable directions. For instance, while magnetic fields are intendedto be concentrated upwards, some magnetic fields may propagate downwardsor into and out of the page. Thus, in some embodiments, one or moremagnetic shunts may be implemented in addition to set of retainingmagnets 2400 to control the leakage of magnetic fields. As an example,magnetic shunts 2412 and 2414 can be positioned at the bottom of set ofretaining magnets 2400 to prevent magnetic fields from leaking downward.In some instances, shunts 2412 and 2414 can be positioned a distanceaway from one another to form a gap 2416, which can provide clearancespace for positioning the stem of the wireless listening device.Magnetic shunts 2412 and 2414 can be configured to redirect straymagnetic fields to prevent them from propagating downward past shunts2412 and 2414. Thus, magnetic shunts 2412 and 2414 can be formed of anymaterial having high magnetic permeability, such as steel. Shunts 2412and 2414 can be formed of a simple steel plate configured as shown inFIG. 24A.

In addition to shunts 2412 and 2414, an additional shunt can also bepositioned on a back surface of set of retaining magnets 2400, as bettershown in the top-down view perspective of FIG. 24B. As shown in FIG.24B, a third shunt, shunt 2418, can be attached to a back surface 2420of set of retaining magnets 2400 so that shunt 2418 makes contact witheach magnet 2402 a-d. Shunt 2418 can adhere to magnets 2402 a-d of setof retaining magnets 2400 to hold them together as a single structure.That way, adhesives or other attachment methods may not need to beimplemented between adjacent magnets, thereby further decreasing thefootprint of set of retaining magnets 2400. A shunt may not need to beplaced on a front surface 2422 of set of retaining magnets 2400 becausethat may be an area where the wireless listening device is positioned.

Although FIG. 24A illustrates set of retaining magnets 2400 as onlyhaving a curved top surface, embodiments are not limited to suchconfigurations. As an example, from the top-down view perspective inFIG. 24B, set of retaining magnets 2400 can also have a curved frontsurface 2422. The curvature of front surface 2422 can follow a contourof the wireless listening device so that set of retaining magnets 2400can maximize its presence around wireless listening device to increaseits magnetic forces while providing clearance space for the wirelesslistening device to be positioned.

C. Visual Indicator

FIG. 25 is a simplified perspective view illustration of an exemplaryvisual indicator 2500 including a light emitter 2504 and a light tube2501 for directing light 2502 emitted by light emitter 2504 from withina body of a case to a region outside of the body of the case, accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure. Light tube 2501 can havean input end 2506 and an output end 2508, where input end 2506 receiveslight 2502 from light emitter 2504 and outputs the received light out ofoutput end 2508. Input end 2506 can have a profile that is substantiallysimilar to the profile of light emitter 2504 so that light tube 2501 canefficiently capture a large amount of the emitted light from lightemitter 2504. Depending on the design as to how visual indicator 2500 isto appear from outside of the case, output end 2508 can have thatspecific profile, e.g., circular as shown in FIG. 20A. Thus, the profileof input end 2506 can be different from the profile of output end 2508.

In some embodiments, light emitter 2504 can be a light emitting device(LED) that has a square-like profile. Thus, in embodiments where visualindicator 2024 has a circular profile when viewed from outside of thecase, light tube 2501 can be have an input end 2506 that has asquare-like profile, and an output end 2508 that has a circular profile.A middle region 2510 between input end 2506 and output end 2508 can beformed of a structure that gradually transitions from a square-likeprofile at input end 2506 to a circular profile at output end 2508.Thus, middle region 2510 can have four surfaces 2512, each extendingfrom input end 2506 and tapering, e.g., having a gradual decreasingwidth, toward output end 2508, so that the structure of light tube 2501gradually changes from a square-like profile to a circular profile.Although FIG. 25 shows light emitter 2504 being positioned far away fromlight tube 2501, embodiments are not so limited. In some embodiments,light emitter 2504 can be placed adjacent to, or in contact with, lighttube 2501 so that there is a minimal distance between light emitter 2504and input end 2506 of light tube 2501.

It is to be appreciated that input end 2506 and output end 2508 can haveany other profile and does not necessarily have to be square-like andcircular, respectively. Rather, the profile of input end 2506 can dependon the shape of light emitter 2504, and the profile of output end 2508can depend on design. Thus, input end 2506 and output end 2508 can beany other suitable shape, such as rectangular, triangular, oblong, andthe like. In some embodiments, light tube 2501 can include a flange 2514for securing light tube 2501 to a body of the case, as shown in FIG.20C. Flange 2514 can extend outward from a center axis 2503 of innereartip body 2501 and along the same plane as input end 2506 of lighttube 2501.

D. Hybrid Retention and Sensor Shunt

As discussed herein with respect to FIG. 20C, a shunt can operate as ahybrid retention and sensor shunt that can not only help the lid stayclosed by allowing a magnet in the lid to attract to it, but it can alsobe used as a sensor component so that a sensor positioned below theshunt can detect when the lid is opened or closed by way of the shunt.FIGS. 26A-26B are simplified cross-sectional views of an exemplarymagnetic attachment and sensor system 2600 that includes a hybridretention and sensor shunt 2602, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 26A is a simplifiedcross-sectional view of magnetic attachment and sensor system 2600 whena lid 2610 is opened, and FIG. 26B is a simplified cross-sectional viewof magnetic attachment and sensor system 2600 when a lid 2610 is closed.Hybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602 and a sensor 2604 can bepositioned within a body 2606 of a case, and a magnet 2050 can bepositioned within a lid 2610 of the case.

As shown in FIG. 26A, when lid 2610 is opened, lid 2610 is positionedaway from body 2606 of the case. When lid 2610 is positioned away frombody 2606, magnetic fields 2612 generated by magnet 2608 may propagatearound magnet 2608 but may be so far from sensor 2604 that sensor 2604may not detect the presence of magnetic fields 2612. In this case,sensor 2604 may generate a signal indicating that lid 2610 is open.

However, when lid 2610 is closed, as shown in FIG. 26B, lid 2610 cancontact body 2606. When lid 2610 is in contact with body 2606, magneticfields 2612 can propagate through hybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602so that a magnetic attractive force can be generated to assist thebistable hinge in pulling lid 2610 shut. In addition, magnetic fields2612 can propagate through hybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602 byentering a top surface of hybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602 andexiting a bottom surface of hybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602.Because hybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602 is formed of a ferrousmaterial, such as steel, magnetic fields 2612 can easily pass throughhybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602, which causes the propagation ofmagnetic fields 2612 to extend below hybrid retention and sensor shunt2602. In this case, sensor 2604 can detect the presence of magneticfields 2612 and generate a signal indicating that lid 2610 is closed. Insome embodiments, sensor 2604 can detect the presence of magnetic fields2612 when lid 2610 is in near contact with body 2606. For instance, iflid 2610 is at an angle of 0° when it is in contact with body 2606,sensor 2604 can detect the presence of magnetic fields 2612 when lid2610 is at an angle of less than 10°. That way, there is a greatertolerance for detecting when lid 2610 is closed. By using hybridretention and sensor shunt 2602, sensor 2604 can be placed verticallybelow shunt 2602 to detect the presence of a magnet that is positionedat a far distance that otherwise would not have been possible. Thisallows sensor 2604 to efficiently utilize the space already provided forhybrid retention and sensor shunt 2602, without requiring the need forspace elsewhere around body 2606 to be reserved for sensor 2604. Thisconfiguration provides a more simple and elegant solution to a complexsensing and retention system.

E. Lid Hinge Design

As discussed herein with respect to FIG. 20C, a case can include aspring-loaded hinge for opening and closing the lid. In someembodiments, the hinge can be a bistable hinge that has two stablestates: an open state and a closed state. This means that the bistablehinge can have a neutral position where it does not pull to open orclose the lid, but once the lid moves in one direction past the neutralposition, the bistable hinge can either pull the lid open or pull thelid closed. Thus, the lid can close without requiring a large number ofmagnets to generate a high magnetic attraction force to close the lid.FIGS. 27 and 28A-28C illustrate an exemplary bistable hinge 2700,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically,FIG. 27 is a perspective view illustration of bistable hinge 2700, andFIGS. 28A-28C are cross-sectional view illustrations of the differentstates of bistable hinge 2700.

As shown in FIG. 27, bistable hinge 2700 can be formed as part of a lid2702 of a case. Bistable hinge 2700 can include several pivot pointsabout which bistable hinge 2700 can move to effectuate bistable openingand closing of lid 2702. As an example, bistable hinge 2700 can includea first pivot point 2704 along a first shaft 2706 that forms a firsthinge about which bistable hinge 2700 rotates and a second pivot point2708 along a second shaft 2710 that forms a second hinge about whichbistable hinge 2700 rotates. The relative position between first shaft2706 and second shaft 2710 can be fixed so that first shaft 2706 andsecond shaft 2710 are positioned a distance away from one another. Anaxis intersecting the first and second pivot points 2704 and 2708 candefine the neutral position where bistable hinge 2700 does not pull ineither direction to open or close lid 2702, as will be discussed furtherherein with respect to FIGS. 28A-28C.

In addition to first and second pivot points 2704 and 2708, bistablehinge 2700 can also include a third pivot point 2712 along a third shaft2714 that forms a third hinge about which a piston guide 2716 canrotate. Piston guide 2716 can rotate around third shaft 2714 to maintaina concentric alignment with a piston rod 2718 while piston guide 2716moves up and down piston rod 2718. Piston guide 2716 can have an innerdiameter that is shaped as a tube to conform to the cylindrical shape ofpiston rod 2718. A first end of piston rod 2718 can be coupled to secondshaft 2710 so that piston rod 2718 can pivot around second pivot point2704 as bistable hinge 2700 transitions between open and closedpositions, and a second end of piston rod 2718 opposite from its firstend can be attached to a stopper 2720. Stopper 2720 can include a flangeregion 2722 that is annular in construction and is positioned around aportion of piston rod 2718 and perpendicular to an outer surface ofpiston rod 2718. Stopper 2720 can make contact with a part of lid 2702to prevent lid 2702 from moving past the open position, as will bediscussed herein with respect to FIG. 28C.

To generate the spring-loaded forces for the operation of bistable hinge2700, a spring 2721 can be implemented between piston guide 2716 andsecond pivot point 2708. Spring 2721 can be a coil spring that is woundabout a portion of piston rod 2718 so that it can apply force againstpiston guide 2716. In certain instances, spring 2721 is conical where itis wider in one end and narrower in the opposite end so that spring 2721can provide a linear force profile during transition between compressedand extended states. Strictly cylindrical springs can buckle whencompressed to a certain extent, which would result in a non-linear forceprofile. In some embodiments, third shaft 2714 is fixed in position sothat piston guide 2716 cannot move relative to lid 2702. Thus, spring2721 can generate force in a direction that is along an axis of pistonrod 2718 but directed away from piston guide 2716. The direction of thisforce, when compared to the axis formed by the first and second pivotpoints 2704 and 2708 can effectuate the bistable operation of hinge2700, as will be discussed further herein with respect to FIGS. 28A-28C.

FIGS. 28A-28C are simplified illustrations of the different positions ofbistable hinge 2700, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As discussed herein, bistable hinge 2700 can be in twostable states: an open state and a closed state. In the closed state,bistable hinge 2700 applies a pushing torsional force that presses thelid closed, whereas in the open state, bistable hinge 2700 applies apulling torsional force that pulls the lid open. Between the open stateand the closed state is a neutral position, where bistable hinge 2700does not push or pull into either one of the open state or the closedstate. Once the lid is nudged to the right or left, bistable hinge 2700will then begin to push or pull the lid into one of the two states. Insome embodiments, the farther the hinge is in each state, the greaterthe torsional force is applied to keep it in that state.

FIG. 28A shows bistable hinge 2700 in a neutral position. The neutralposition may be a position where bistable hinge 2700 does not pushtoward or pull into the closed or open state. The neutral position maybe achieved when a direction of force 2802 (represented by an arrow) isaligned with a conversion axis 2804 (represented by a dashed line)defined by a line that intersects centers of first and second pivotpoints 2704 and 2708 where first and second shafts 2706 and 2710 arepositioned, respectively as shown in FIG. 28A. In this position, spring2721 may be compressed 2813 while providing force 2802, and lid 2702 maybe at an angle of between 20° to 40°, such as 30°, with respect tohorizontal. The direction of force 2802 is in-line with the axis ofpiston rod 2718 because spring 2721 is concentric to piston rod 2718.Conversion axis 2804 may define the angle at which bistable hinge 2700moves between the closed state and the opened state.

For instance, once bistable hinge 2700 tilts out of alignment withconversion axis 2804, bistable hinge 2700 may begin to apply torsionalforce toward the direction in which it begins to tilt with increasingamounts of force as the angle between direction of force 2802 andconversion axis 2804 increases. As an example, if the lid begins toclose, direction of force 2802 begins to angle away from conversion axis2804 towards the left side of conversion axis 2804, and bistable hinge2700 begins to apply increasing amounts of torsional force 2806 to pushthe lid toward the closed state until bistable hinge 2700 reaches theclosed state, as shown in FIG. 28B. At this time, spring 2721 alsobegins to expand 2814 as it applies force 2802 to the left side ofconversion axis 2804. Bistable hinge 2700 may stop pushing once lid 2702presses against the body of the case, such as when the lid is parallel(e.g., at an angle of 0°) with respect to a horizontal dimension. Inthis case, bistable hinge 2700 may be completely in the closed state.

Alternatively, if the lid begins to open from the neutral position,direction of force 2802 begins to angle away from conversion axis 2804towards the right side of conversion axis 2804, and bistable hinge 2700begins to apply increasing amounts of torsional force 2808 to pull thelid toward the open state until bistable hinge 2700 reaches the openedstate, as shown in FIG. 28C. At this time, spring 2721 also begins toexpand 2816 as it applies force 2802 to the right side of conversionaxis 2804. Bistable hinge 2700 may stop pulling once stopper 2720presses against a seat 2810 formed in lid 2702, e.g. when the lid is atan angle between 100° and 130°, such as 115°, with respect to thehorizontal dimension. In this case, bistable hinge 2700 may becompletely in the open state.

As can be appreciated herein, bistable hinge 2700 can include a pivotguiding structure 2812 coupled to the first shaft 2706 or both first andsecond shafts 2706 and 2710. Pivot guiding structure 2812 can moveindependently from lid 2702 so that it can guide the bistable movementof hinge 2700. For instance, pivot guiding structure 2812 can pivotaround first shaft 2706 while second shaft 2710 slides along an outersurface of pivot guiding structure 2812 as bistable hinge 2700transitions between opened and closed states, as shown in FIGS. 28A-28C.

In some embodiments, bistable hinge 2700 may apply maximum amount offorce when it is completely in the closed state or the open state, andgradually less amounts of force when approaching the neutral position.This may be because of the large angle between direction of force 2802and conversion axis 2804 when in either of the states, and the smallerangles between force 2802 and conversion axis 2804 when approaching theneutral position. Thus, the most amount of resistance may be felt whenpressing the lid to move out of either the closed state or the openedstate, which achieves high quality user experience.

FIGS. 28D-28F are simplified illustrations of an exemplary bistablehinge 2820 different from hinge 2700 in FIG. 27 in that bistable hinge2820 has a piston formed of a curved plate coupled to a rocker,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically,FIG. 28D is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary bistablehinge 2820. As shown, bistable hinge 2820 can include a pushplate 2826and a rocker 2828 coupled between a first shaft 2822 and a second shaft2824. A first end of pushplate 2826 can be coupled to first shaft 2822within a hinge block 2830, which can protect the coupling joint betweenpushplate 2826 and first shaft 2822, while a second end of pushplate2826 opposite from the first end can be coupled to a first end of rocker2828 via a third shaft 2832. A second end of rocker 2828 opposite fromits first end can then be coupled to second shaft 2824. The combinedmovement of pushplate 2826 and rocker 2828 can effectuate the movementof bistable hinge 2820. In some embodiments, pushplate 2826 can beconstructed as a curved plate to provide clearance space for othercomponents within the case, and can be coupled to a spring 2834 thatprovides the spring forces for opening and closing the bistable hinge.Pushplate 2826 can be a single structure that is pressed against spring2834 such that spring 2834 moves in conjunction with pushplate 2826 forguiding the movement of bistable hinge 2820. However, embodiments arenot so limited. For instance, pushplate 2826 can be separated into twostructures to allow spring 2834 to pivot freely with respect topushplate 2826, as shown in FIG. 28E.

FIG. 28E is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary pushplate2836 constructed of a primary structure 2838 and a secondary structure2840. Third shaft 2832 can thread through both primary structure 2838and secondary structure 2840 as shown. In some embodiments, secondarystructure 2840 is set within a cutout region 2842 of primary structure2838 so that portions of primary structure 2838 are positioned onopposite sides of secondary structure 2840. In certain embodiments,secondary structure 2840 can move independently from primary structure2838 so that spring 2834 can be decoupled from primary structure 2838,thereby allowing spring 2834 to move independently from primarystructure 2838. This movement allows a modified torque curve that canprovide a better user feel when opening and closing the lid.

FIG. 28F is a cross-sectional view illustration of a case 2844implemented with bistable hinge 2820 that includes pushplate 2826 androcker 2828, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Pushplate 2826 can be coupled to a body 2844 of case 2820 by way ofhinge block 2830. The curvature of pushplate 2826 can bend aroundinternal components of case 2820 as shown in FIG. 28F before coupling torocker 2828 via third shaft 2832. Rocker 2828 can be positioned at anangle with respect to pushplate 2826 and can be coupled to a mountingstructure 2846 that is affixed to a lid 2848 of case 2820. Spring 2834can contact, and be positioned between, pushplate 2826 and mountingstructure 2846 so that forces applied by spring 2834 can press againstpushplate 2826 to alter the angle between pushplate 2826 and rocker 2828to open lid 2848. Protrusions 2850 and 2852 extending from mountingstructure 2846 and pushplate 2826, respectively, can retain spring 2834in position.

F. Straddle Battery Pack

As discussed herein, a case can include more than one battery pack forstoring energy that can be later discharged to operate the case. Forinstance, the case can have two battery packs that are coupled togetherto provide twice as much energy storage than a single battery pack. Insuch instances, the two battery packs can be arranged to minimizeoccupied space so that the case can have a smaller size and/or morespace can be utilized by other internal components. For instance, twobattery packs can be positioned side-by-side and separated by a casesubstrate, such as a PCB, to minimize space.

FIGS. 29A-29C illustrate configurations of an exemplary straddle batterypack 2900, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Straddle battery pack 2900 can include two battery packs: a firstbattery pack 2902 a and a second battery pack 2902 b, that can beoriented vertically and positioned side-by-side. To operate together,battery packs 2902 a-b can be electrically coupled together viaconnection cables 2904 that can couple with a case substrate forproviding power to operate the case. In some embodiments, battery packs2902 a-b can be separated by a gap 2906, within which one or morecomponents can be strategically positioned to minimize the footprint ofbattery packs 2902 a-b.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 29B, a case substrate 2908 mounted witha plurality of electronic devices 2910 can be positioned between firstand second battery packs 2902 a-b within gap 2906. To provide power tooperate the case, connection cables 2904 can couple battery packs 2902a-b to case substrate 2908. By sandwiching case substrate 2908 betweentwo battery packs, the overall footprint of the module can be smallenough to be tucked away in a small region of the case. As an exampleshown in FIG. 29C, battery packs 2902 a-b can be tucked in the spacebetween bowls 2912 a-b of an inner frame 2914 for a case. That way,battery packs 2902 a-b can provide ample power storage while taking upminimal space within the case.

G. Case as a One-Handed Applicator

FIG. 30 depicts a simplified plan view of a case 3000 for a pair ofwireless listening devices according to some embodiments of thedisclosure. As shown in FIG. 30, case 3000 includes a housing 3005having one or more cavities 3010 a and 3010 b configured to receive apair of wireless listening devices 3015 a and 3015 b. In someembodiments, cavities 3010 a and 3010 b can be positioned adjacent toeach other on opposite sides of a center plane of case 3000. Each cavity3010 a and 3010 b can be sized and shaped to match that of itsrespective listening device 3015 a and 3015 b. Each cavity can include astem section 3016 a and 3016 b and a bud section 3017 a and 3017 b. Eachstem section 3016 a and 3016 b can be an elongated generally cylindricalcavity that extends from its respective bud section 3017 a and 3017 btowards a bottom 3006 of case 3000. Each bud section 3017 a and 3017 bcan be offset from its respective stem section 3016 a and 3016 b andopen at an upper surface 3008 of housing 3005. Embodiments of thedisclosure are not limited to any particular shape, configuration ornumber of cavities 3010 a and 3010 b and in other embodiments cavities3010 a and 3010 b can have different shapes to accommodate differenttypes of listening devices, different configurations and/or can be asingle cavity or more than two cavities.

Case 3000 further includes a lid 3020 attached to housing 3005. Lid 3020is operable between a closed position where lid 3020 is aligned over oneor more cavities 3010 a and 3010 b fully enclosing pair of listeningdevices 3015 a and 3015 b within the housing, and an open position wherethe lid is displaced from the housing and cavities 3010 a and 3010 bsuch that a user can remove the listening devices from the cavities orreplace the listening devices within the cavities. Lid 3020 can bepivotably attached to housing 3005 and can include a magnetic ormechanical system (not shown in FIG. 30) that provides lid 3020 with abi-stable operation, as described more fully below. Case 3000 can alsoinclude a charging system 3025 configured to charge pair of listeningdevices 3015 a and 3015 b. Charging system 3025 can make electricalcontact with external contacts of pair of listening devices 3015 a and3015 b to provide power to listening devices 3015 a and 3015 b.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, case 3000 canbe configured as a one-handed applicator that can eject one or bothlistening devices 3015 a and 3015 b with one hand without having to haveone hand hold the case and the other hand pull listening devices 3015 aand 3015 b out of case 3000. As an example, case 3000 can include anejection feature 3022 that can be configured to slide upwards to ejectone or both listening devices 3015 a and 3015 b. In some embodiments,ejection feature 3022 can be formed of a frame that includes an engagingportion 3026 that is positioned below listening devices 3015 a and 3015b so that when ejection feature 3022 is slid upwards, engaging portion3026 can press upward against one or both listening devices 3015 a and3015 b to eject one or both simultaneously. Ejection feature 3022 canalso include an activation portion 3028 that is exposed on a sidesurface of case 3000 so that a user can use his or her finger toactivate ejection feature 3022. In some embodiments, activation portion3028 can include two parts, one positioned on opposite sides of case3000 to allow flexibility in activating ejection feature 3022. Case 3000can also include tracks (not shown) on the side surfaces of case 3000 toallow activation portion 3028 to move up and down. In some additionaland alternative embodiments, activation portion 3028 can be a buttonthat is pressed or a switch that is flipped instead of a sliding featureto activate ejection feature 3022. It is to be appreciated that anysuitable type of activation feature can be envisioned herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended tocover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A magnetic securing component, comprising: a setof magnets positioned laterally adjacent to one another and having acurved top surface defined by individual curved top surfaces of eachmagnet in the set of magnets, the set of magnets comprising: first andsecond magnets positioned laterally adjacent to one another, wherein thefirst and second magnets each have a polarity that is oriented parallelto a vertical dimension; and third and fourth magnets laterallypositioned from the first and second magnets, wherein the third magnetis positioned adjacent to the first magnet and the fourth magnet ispositioned adjacent to the second magnet, the third and fourth magnetseach having a magnetic polarity that is oriented at an angle withrespect to the vertical dimension.
 2. The magnetic securing component ofclaim 1, wherein orientations of the magnetic polarities for the firstand second magnets are oriented in different directions, and whereinorientations of the magnetic polarities for the third and fourth magnetsare oriented in different directions.
 3. The magnetic securing componentof claim 2, wherein orientations of the magnetic polarities of the firstand second magnets are opposite in direction to one another.
 4. Themagnetic securing component of claim 3, wherein the first magnet has afirst magnetic polarity that is vertically downward, and the secondmagnet has a second magnetic polarity that is vertically upward.
 5. Themagnetic securing component of claim 2, wherein the third magnet has athird magnetic polarity that is angled downward and away from the firstmagnet, and the fourth magnet has a fourth magnetic polarity that isangled upward and toward the second magnet.
 6. The magnetic securingcomponent of claim 1, further comprising a first shunt and a secondshunt positioned below the set of magnets preventing stray magneticfields from leaking to areas below the first and second shunts.
 7. Themagnetic securing component of claim 6, wherein the first shunt ispositioned a distance away from the second shunt.
 8. The magneticsecuring component of claim 6, further comprising a third shuntpositioned directly behind the set of magnets to hold the magnetstogether.
 9. The magnetic securing component of claim 8, wherein firstshunt, second shunt, and third shunt are formed of steel.
 10. Themagnetic securing component of claim 1, wherein the set of magnetsfurther includes a curved front surface defined by individual curvedfront surface of each magnet in the set of magnets.
 11. A case for awireless listening device, comprising: a lid movable to open and closethe case; a hinge coupled to the lid to allow the lid to open and closethe case; and a body coupled to the lid by the hinge, the bodycomprising: a set of magnets positioned laterally adjacent to oneanother and having a curved top surface defined by individual curved topsurface of each magnet in the set of magnets, the set of magnetscomprising: first and second magnets positioned laterally adjacent toone another, wherein the first magnet has a first magnetic polarity thatis vertically downward, and the second magnet has a second magneticpolarity that is vertically upward; and third and fourth magnetslaterally positioned from the first and second magnets, wherein thethird magnet is positioned adjacent to the first magnet and the fourthmagnet is positioned adjacent to the second magnet, the third and fourthmagnets each having a magnetic polarity that is oriented at an anglewith respect to the vertical dimension.
 12. The case of claim 11,wherein the case further comprises an inner frame comprising a curvedsurface for receiving the wireless listening device.
 13. The case ofclaim 11, wherein orientations of the magnetic polarities for the thirdand fourth magnets are oriented in different directions.
 14. The case ofclaim 11, further comprising a first shunt and a second shunt positionedbelow the set of magnets preventing stray magnetic fields from leakingto areas below the first and second shunts.
 15. The case of claim 14,further comprising a third shunt positioned directly behind the set ofmagnets to hold the magnets together.
 16. A wireless listening devicesystem, comprising: a wireless listening device comprising: a housingcomprising an outer structure defining an acoustic opening and a nozzledisposed around the acoustic opening, the acoustic opening allowingsound to exit out of the outer structure; a first communication systemdisposed within the housing and configured to send and receive data; aneartip removably attached to the nozzle to direct sound outputted by thehousing through the acoustic opening; and an attachment mechanismremovably attaching the eartip to the housing; and a case, comprising: alid movable to open and close the case; a hinge coupled to the lid toallow the lid to open and close the case; a body coupled to the lid bythe hinge, the body comprising: a set of magnets positioned laterallyadjacent to one another and having a curved top surface defined byindividual curved top surface of each magnet in the set of magnets, theset of magnets comprising: first and second magnets positioned laterallyadjacent to one another, wherein the first and second magnets each havea polarity that is oriented parallel to a vertical dimension; and thirdand fourth magnets laterally positioned from the first and secondmagnets, wherein the third magnet is positioned adjacent to the firstmagnet and the fourth magnet is positioned adjacent to the secondmagnet, the third and fourth magnets each having a magnetic polaritythat is oriented at an angle with respect to the vertical dimension; anda second communication system disposed in the body and configured toexchange data with the first communication system.
 17. The wirelesslistening device system of claim 16, wherein orientations of themagnetic polarities for the first and second magnets are oriented indifferent directions, and wherein orientations of the magneticpolarities for the third and fourth magnets are oriented in differentdirections.
 18. The wireless listening device system of claim 17,wherein orientations of the magnetic polarities of the first and secondmagnets are opposite in direction to one another.
 19. The wirelesslistening device system of claim 18, wherein the first magnet has afirst magnetic polarity that is vertically downward, and the secondmagnet has a second magnetic polarity that is vertically upward.
 20. Thewireless listening device system of claim 17, wherein the third magnethas a third magnetic polarity that is angled downward and away from thefirst magnet, and the fourth magnet has a fourth magnetic polarity thatis angled upward and toward the second magnet.